To the Fire Escape and Beyond
by Polkahotness
Summary: After years of confusion and hiding her feelings from Arnold, Helga has finally become the object of Arnold's affections. The catch? Nobody knows, and they intend to keep it that way- at least for now. But will an unexpected school group project prove to be their secret's undoing? AxH, Review and Subscribe! (rated M for language and sexual content.)
1. A Whole New World

_**Hello everybody!**_

 _ **I was scrolling through tumblr when I saw a post by tumblr user Zeether with an amazing idea-**_

 _ **What if season 6 consisted of Arnold and Helga tried to hide their love for eachother from the whole school instead of Helga trying to hide it from Arnold?**_

 _ **And with that in mind, I continued to blog hop and it was thanks to that concept and the wonderful art and such by tumblr user the-real-aibouftw when all of a sudden- BAM! Concept.**_

 _ **Don't know how long this will be**_

 _ **don't know where we're going**_

 _ **don't care.**_

 _ **It's good to be back in the fandom!**_

 _ **Read, Review, Subscribe, Favorite, and ENJOY!**_

 _ **xox**_

 _ **Polkahotness**_

* * *

***HELGA***

I sat on the floor of Arnold's room; him seated on his bed just above and behind me.

A lot had changed since Sophmore year.

I had a car and a job at a music store downtown that was pretty cool.

Oh, and I kinda had a thing going with Hillwood's own resident footballhead.

"Are you gonna finish that page or what, bucko?" I asked tilting my head back to look up at him as he studied.

"And just where is your book?" He asked, his eyes still glued on the textbook.

"I may or may not have left it in my locker."

He looked over to me and I flashed him a sheepish smile.

"Helga..."

"What? Like I was supposed to know I had to lug that thing home. And besides- why do I need it if I know you'll let me use yours, hmm?"

He smiled and shook his head.

"Whatever you say, Helga." His gaze returned down to his book, his finger tracing a line he was reading and then tapping twice on a word before he reached over to jot something down on his worksheet.

Little 9 year old Helga would never have believed that telling Arnold about her feelings could actually end up... okay.

Awesome, actually.

After graduating elementary school, we went into middle school with high hopes and loads of hormones. Left and right people were dating on and off and sucking face anywhere they could manage.

Mostly at school dances- kids would sneak off to go to the bathroom or behind the stairway to share awkward first kisses and bumbling hands as they began to explore the wonderful world that hormones introduce you to.

But I hadn't been into that. And neither had Arnold. I was still under the impression that Arnold still had his heart set on _Li_ la and her little miss perfect routine until our 7th grade dance approached.

And at that 7th grade dance, Arnold asked me to dance.

It wasn't anything special, but I remember my blood was boiling under his touch with his hands around my waist. It had been awkward, I didn't know what the heck I was supposed to say. But right as my girlish heart started to swoon at the thought of Arnold and I finally having a moment between just us of mutual (possible) adoration, I stumbled and fell right on my butt in front of all my class and the next two ahead of me.

That was when everyone noticed I had been dancing with the very boy they all knew I supposedly despised and suddenly, Harold's goonish laugh filled the auditorium.

"Helga and Awnold sittin' in a twee," He began to sing, and I felt the blood rush to my cheeks; but my fists were clenching. "K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" he laughed again and pointed to us, Arnold reaching down to help me up, but I pushed him away.

"Harold, knock it off." He told him, but I was way ahead of Arnold.

The next thing I remember was yelling at Harold, punching him in the gut and running off to cry in the bathroom.

Of course, Pheebs found me and told me not to worry, that Harold was just being 'insensitive' and it was 'more important to remember that as Eleanor Roosevelt once said, no one can make you feel inferior without your consent.'

But I felt so much more than inferior.

I felt laughed at. Humiliated. Ridiculed. I felt like a sissy. I felt like all the walls I had spent so long building up so nobody could touch me had, in one instant, been ripped apart and my very self had been invaded.

Needless to say, I avoided Arnold like the plague after that.

I began to treat him even worse than I ever had in the past.

And it drove Arnold crazy.

" _Helga, why would you act like this? You... this isn't you. You aren't this horrible."_ He had told me one day in 8th grade as we sat in our History Class together.

" _Like YOU know who I am. You don't know the FIRST THING about me, bucko. So how about you and your freakish head just BUZZ OFF."_

I remember his face as he looked at me; so forlorn and hurt like I had continuously killed his puppy, brought it back to life only to kill it again.

And then in 9th grade, we played spin the bottle at Rhonda's house with a bunch of the gang, and of course, it landed on me and Arnold.

" _I swear on your life Fat Boy, if you say ONE WORD, if you utter ONE THING about this... I will rip your arms off, put them in a shadow box, and hang them on your wall."_

" _What's a shadow box? You can't steal a shadow, dummy!"_

 _I rolled my eyes._

" _Well Arn_ oldo _, let's do this thing." My heart was a jackrabbit dancing in my chest, but I tried to remain calm as his lips neared mine._

 _His lips had been so soft._

 _This, THIS was the kiss I remembered. More than the one at FTi, more than the one during Romeo and Juliet, even._

 _Because during THIS one... he kissed me back._

 _I lost myself in him in that moment. Our lips moved together completely in sync with the others and I found my hand reaching up to his cheek to pull him closer to me._

 _Annnnnnnd then I remembered we were in front of everyone._

" _See?! I told you guys!" Harold shouted, our kiss being interrupted by his fat nonsense._

 _Once again, the blush rushed to fill my naturally pale cheeks._

" _Tubby- what did I say?!" I hollered, and Arnold once again reached out to touch my shoulder to try and calm me down._

" _Helga-"_

" _What?" I snapped back at him, his hand slowly drifting away from my shoulder as he watched me. He watched me intently and I swore he could see the tears welling in my eyes as I shook with anger and complete devastation. "It was... It was just a KISS!" I insisted and he stood up from the circle; his eyes locked on mine mirroring the same look of hurt as I gave him._

" _Whatever you say, Helga." He mumbled, and left the party._

For the rest of 9th grade, I never spoke another word to Arnold.

And it killed me.

So when sophmore year rolled around, we were the new kids on the block again, but this time at Hillwood High.

Arnold spent most of the year watching me as I rebelled outwardly.

I was mad at my life.

I was mad at my friends.

I was mad at would could have been, but never could be.

We'd been in study hall when it all went down. It was February 12th and we were all anxious for the weekend as Sid's band was going to be playing and we all had planned to go and see them.

But I remember not being excited at all. It meant I had to face Arnold. And it was hard enough facing him every day at school with his judgmental looks and questioning eyes always following me.

The only class we had together, thankfully, had been study hall.

I was working on my Early US History paper when he came up to ask if I wanted any help with the assignment, as he had just gotten his back and aced it.

I couldn't understand why now, out of the blue, he would waltz up to me and just strike up conversation.

After a year and a half. After a wonderful kiss.

After one of my most humiliating moments... and most treasured.

Anyway, I kinda blew up at him and stormed out of the classroom. Naturally, good ole Hair Boy followed me into the hallway and I guess you could say the rest is history.

" _Helga, wait up!" He shouted after me in the empty hallway as I tried to speed walk away from the situation._

" _WHAT? Can't you just leave me alone?"_

" _But WHY? I don't understand WHY, Helga."_

 _I turned around to face him, my arms crossed._

" _Because...because we can't just...be friends. We aren't pals. We aren't chums. We aren't friends. We aren't ANYTHING. Get that through your weird looking skull."_

" _Who said I wanted to be friends? I just want some answers, Helga. I've been waiting for some answers." He asked coolly and I shook my head at him._

" _Well you certainly act like you hate me and then out of the blue, here you are, wanting to be buddies."_

" _That's not what I was doing, Helga-"_

" _Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know what you were DOING. You were" I used quote fingers, "'trying to help me with my homework,'" I dropped my arms to my side and sighed._

" _Maybe I had ulterior motives." He shrugged it off._

" _Like?"_

" _Like trying to figure you out. Trying to get you to talk to me the way you used to back in middle school and sometimes even earlier than that. You're in there, Helga."_

" _That's a lot of bull. As if trying to dig me out of the shell I am is what your ulterior motives are."_

" _Fine. Maybe I was trying to get you to finally tell me you have feelings for me." There was a hint of something on his face. Smugness? Humor? Arrogance? What WAS that LOOK?!_

" _Look here, Hair Boy. I do not have FEELINGS for you. What kind of sap do you think I am?"_

" _The kind who confesses their undying love for someone at age 9 on top of a building."_

 _I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms trying to seem as uncaring as possible, but in reality, my heart was slamming against my chest harder than a hammer._

" _The fact that you believed that...that...that wad of NONSENSE is continuously amusing, footballhead."_

 _He was becoming irritated now and it was unlike Arnold to get all huffy about things._

 _He was usually so calm..._ Oh god, _I thought,_ What am I doing to him?

" _I just think I have a right to some answers, and you have never left me with very many." His eyes were searching mine now, and I couldn't help but to turn away with a sick sense of shame; blush rising to my cheeks. I tucked my chin into my shoulder to hide from his gaze._

" _Answers," I started, my voice very small, "you aren't the only one without answers, Arnold."_

 _I heard him take two small footsteps towards me and it wasn't long before I felt his soft touch radiating through my body from my shoulder where his hand lay._

" _Maybe you could have some if you answered my question first."_

 _I scoffed and shrugged his hand off of my shoulder, despite how comforting it had felt._

" _The answer you're looking for isn't something you're gonna want to hear, Arnold."_

" _So."_

" _So what? You just... you just want me to stand here and spill my innermost secrets to you because...because you have QUESTIONS? Pfft." I shook my head and smirked; sweat beginning to form at the top of my hairline._

" _You don't think I can keep a secret or something?" His eyebrow raised and I dropped my hands to my sides; my eyes now burning through him._

" _As if this is the kind of secret YOU can just keep. You won't even underSTAND. How could you, a football-headed FREAK even begin to understand the workings of my mind or the things I feel?"_

 _He let out a deep breath and shrugged slightly, his eyes watching me as I stood defensively before him._

" _Because maybe you aren't the only person in the entire world who has feelings, Helga."_

 _I rolled my eyes again and turned around to walk away from a conversation I feared was coming too close to revealing who I really was._

 _But I was too late._

" _Maybe," he called out after me, "maybe those feelings you have for me are okay." although he didn't follow me, his words chased me down and had me pinned to reality._

 _He knew._

 _It was no use denying that the jig was up. All of the hard work I had spent my 16 years doing to cover up my undying devotion to the beautiful flaxen haired angel I turned around to look at just then, had been in vain._

 _Because he clearly wasn't about to keep believing my elaborate lies and phony insults anymore._

 _I looked at him, defeated._

 _His mouth opened to say something, but I held a hand up to stop him before he could start. "Fine. I lied. Maybe everything I told you on the roof was true. Maybe I do love you and I've spent my entire life trying to hide that from you. Trying to hide all those poem books and shrines and midnight vigils... the spells and inner monologues. All those nights of standing outside your-" my voice cut off when I realized maybe this wasn't the time to confess everything, and I swallowed hard to push myself to continue, "But I only hid it all because I-I-I didn't want you to...I wasn't sure if..." I took a breath, now feeling lost in my own thoughts. "I don't really know, I guess."_

" _I think you do know." He replied._

 _He hadn't run yet._

 _So I guessed that was a good thing._

" _So after all these years, you still like me?" He asked, dragging me out of my thoughts._

 _Without a word, I pursed my lips and nodded my head minimally._

" _Well," he started, a small smile building on his face. I braced myself for whatever was going to come out of his mouth next. "I guess all I can say is thanks for telling me and... and I'm sorry."_

 _The look on my face really must have been something._

" _Sorry? What could YOU be SORRY for?" I exclaimed in confusion._

" _I'm sorry it took me so long to catch up."_

" _Wh-what?" my body felt numb at his words my very nerves seemingly paralyzed in shock._

" _I told you Helga, you aren't the only one with feelings."_

" _Well of course... of course you have f-feelings-"_

" _For you, Helga."_

 _Silence._

 _I heard the muffled footsteps of someone running down the hallway behind us followed by a door closing and booming laughter from a classroom._

 _But it was just us and the confession Arnold had left out between us in the 400 wing._

" _For me."_

" _For you."_

" _You're lying."_

" _I'm not, Helga."_

" _But I'm a bitch, Arnold."_

 _He shrugged._

" _I would say more... misunderstood."_

 _I smirked and crossed my arms again._

" _You realize what you're saying is crazy, right?"_

" _YOU'VE been driving me crazy. For...years."_

" _But I've been horrible to you. I've called you yutz and football-head and Hair boy your whole life and-and-"_

" _And after considering everything you told me in the 'heat of the moment' and every weird thing that's happened to us since... you couldn't tell I liked you? Despite it all?"_

" _But...but why?" I found myself walking towards him as we talked._

" _Because I've always known you weren't that... that person you keep trying to tell everyone you are."_

" _Yes, I am-"_

 _He shook his head and took another step toward us to shorten the gap of space._

" _When my Grandma died..." he started, his words coming out soft and thoughtful, "everyone was there for me... even you."_

" _Well I wasn't about to torture you when you're going through that-"_

" _But you came to my house. You... you helped us clean out her room. You brought food and left it at our doorstep-"_

" _I DID NOT,"_

" _Helga. I saw you. Stop trying to lie to me."_

" _Arnold... I-I-"_

 _And then he kissed me. Right in that hallway._

 _Nobody was around._

 _Nobody laughed._

 _Nobody teased._

 _It was everything I had ever wanted... and it was just between us._

Which is how our relationship remained.

Between us.

The summer was... incredible.

We went to the beach most days and sat under the dock away from everybody so we could watch the water come in and coat the sand so we could build sandcastles and talk and laugh...

and kiss.

So much kissing.

Sometimes we would stay in and watch movies on his laptop. I'd sneak up his fire escape and meet him on the roof where we would look at the stars and watch movies.

And... kiss.

And then every once in a while we'd get on the bus and abandon Hillwood for surrounding neighborhoods where nobody knew us and we could be that couple nobody knew we were.

We could hold hands.

We could goof around.

And we could kiss.

God, I loved that boy's lips. What can I say.

Arnold had been completely understanding of my fears. After every attempt our hearts had made towards one another got squashed by laughter and teasing and Harold, he knew I was terrified of the reaction of our classmates.

Which meant when Junior year rolled around, everyone was still clueless.

EVERYONE.

That's right, not even Pheebs. Or Gerald.

It was our little secret.

And so far, we had done pretty well. I mean, it was only the first month of school, but we had been really discreet. We hardly ever talked at school.

But Gerald was getting suspicious. And Phoebe would be too if she wasn't so busy with all her post-secondary stuff she was working on.

"What are we gonna do about Tall Hair Boy?"

"Hmm?" He hummed before closing the textbook and handing it to me with his focus now on me. "What?"

"Geraldo. What are we gonna do?"

"Nothing, why?"

"Well," I started, shifting to scoot myself around to face Arnold on his bed as I opened the textbook and thumbed through the pages to find the right chapter. "You said he keeps asking about what you've been doing that makes you unable to hang out with his jealous ass."

He laughed and pushed himself off of the bed to sit cross-legged in front of me, our knees almost touching.

"Yeah but he doesn't think it's with you. Don't worry, I'll think of something."

"Why exactly are you doing all this anyway? Hiding everything from Gerald. YOU don't have a real reason." I looked down to the book, although I read none of the words my eyes danced over. A hand reached out to close the book and take it away from me. "Hey!"

"I DO have a reason, Helga." He said, book in his grip as I watched him with slight agitation. "I want you to be comfortable. If you don't want to tell anyone," he shrugged, "then that what we do. Until you're ready."

"Ahh, so curteous." I replied and he glared at me. "Thank you, Arnold." I said after a beat, leaning in to plant a soft kiss on his lips.

"Hey Arnold!" Mr. Pott's muffled voice called from downstairs beyond the shut door of Arnold's room. "Gerald's here!"

He huffed and stood up, reaching his hand down to pull me up with him. "I'm sorry, I didn't know he was coming."

With a breath I blurted out, "You should just tell him, Arnold."

He was surprised and his eyes widened momentarily at my statement.

"Really?"

I nodded my head and chewed on my lip.

"Yeah. What's the worst he's gonna do, huh?"

"Does that mean you trust him now?"

I laughed and wrapped my arms around him and rested my chin on his shoulder.

"Nah. But I know you do. And I doubt he'd go blabbing when he knows it would piss you off." I pulled back to look at him for a moment, "It would piss you off, right?"

His eyebrows raised and a small smile raised the corner of his mouth.

"Royally."

"Arnold..."

"I'm serious. But he won't tell, Helga. I swear."

"Willing to bet your LIFE on it?" I dared and he kissed me hard for a moment, my lips melting under his as the world around us drifted away.

"Absolutely." he said once our lips parted, and it took me a moment to calm my heart down enough to process his next words. "You'd better go though."

"But I said we could-"

"I wanna do it my way." He said flatly, and I eyed him curiously. "Just... Just trust me, okay? He's been my best friend since birth. I think I know how to handle him and his reaction a lot better than you."

"Yeah, alright." I heard the door close downstairs and Gerald greeting Mr. Potts, which was basically my cue to get going.

"So...tomorrow?" I asked and he nodded, pecking my lips before turning around to hand me my backpack and his textbook.

"Of course. I'm going to call you tonight to make sure you did that assignment..."

"What are you, my mom?"

He laughed and winked at me. "Nah. Just the concerned boyfriend."

"Even better." I kissed the air in his direction quickly, slinging my backpack over my shoulder and tucking the book under my armpit, then reached out to begin climbing up the ladder out to the roof and to the fire escape that I had become all too familiar with. "See ya later footballhead."

and just as I closed the window, I watched Gerald stroll in, his arms waving in the air wildly as he began what I guessed to be a ridiculous story told in only a way Gerald could tell.

6 months.

It was hard to believe it had really been that long.

As I walked down the street, my eyes buried in the textbook I had borrowed from Arnold, I found my thoughts wandering to all the memories I had made in the passed 6 months. How many wonderful things my beloved and I had done now that my dreams had somehow become reality.

I became so lost in my thoughts that it's no wonder I ran right into Rhonda who had had her nose buried in her phone.

"Watch where you're going!" I shouted as I stood up, only to lock eyes with none other but the Princess of Hillwood herself. And her eyes were locked on Arnold's textbook that was lying on the ground in front of us with his name in big, bold letters on the front cover.

 _Criminy..._


	2. Secrets, Secrets Are No Fun

_**Sorry for the late update, but here we are!**_

 _ **Make sure you review, favorite and follow! It would also be mega awesome if you checked out some of my other tales too ;)**_

 _ **But either way, Enjoy!**_

 _ **And tell your friends!**_

 _ **xox**_

 _ **Polkahotness**_

* * *

I tried to snatch the textbook off the ground as fast as I could, Rhonda catching notice to my quick reaction to our little run-in.

"Funny bumping into you, Helga." She said, her voice sounding as slick and slithery as a snake.

"Sure, Princess. Just hilarious. But...but I gotta be somewhere so-"

"Where are you off to in such a hurry?" She asked, her hands resting on her hips as she eyed me up and down; lingering on Arnold's name looking back at her from the textbook and then finally settling back on my face.

"Can't be anywhere TOO important." She added and I clenched my jaw, my eyes closing as I tried to remain calm.

Rhonda had become significantly meaner since Middle School. After 9th grade finished and we headed to High School, Miss Wellington Lloyd became a regular mean girl. Like a bitch.

At least before high school we all were still friends and the insults were all in good fun... a kind of sibling rivalry.

But puberty had done wonders for Rhonda. She had developed... quite a bit, that even guys older than her fawned at her presence. She was a frequent at college parties, and rarely was found without some hunk of blubber attached to her arm be it men or loyal disciples.

Today, this wasn't the case.

Lucky me.

"I just gotta get home, Lloyd. Can ya move? You're blocking my path, Princess. "

She blatantly ignored the second half of my statement and continued. "From where?"

"Does it matter?" I countered and she flashed a smile that tasted of poison.

"Couldn't be Arnold's place, could it?" She pushed and I laughed the meanest laugh I could muster.

"A-arnold's? HAH. Like I'd be visiting him for fun on my time off from school. Wow, Rhonda. That's-That's funny."

"Then that book you're holding that very clearly says 'Arnold Shortman Period 4' magically flew into your arms, yes?"

Criminy, this girl couldn't take a hint.

I tightened my grip on the book wrapped in brown paper to protect it from obnoxious fees at the end of the year, and pursed my lips, refusing to back down to Rhonda's childish games.

"Good ole footballhead forgot it in class. I was just bringing it back."

"Mmhm. Makes sense seeing as you're going in the wrong direction."

I was faltering. I didn't know where to go. I felt like her words were suffocating me and that once again, I was to be the laughing stock of Hillwood High and of my whole class.

 _Maybe it isn't so bad._ I thought, _Maybe she'll just forget or nobody will care. Wh-why does it matter anyway, huh?_

 _Because it just did, doi._

"Oh...oh I am?" I asked, trying to play the dumb card. But by the look on Rhonda's face, she wasn't buying it. "So what if I'm going the wrong way PRINCESS? Maybe I wanted the scenic route. As if I need to explain myself to YOU."

"Sure, Helga. How foolish of me to ask such a question. You hate Arnold."

"Damn right."

"I guess I would too if I knew he would be the downfall of my entire reputation. Seeing as you've painted yourself to be such a badass poorly dressed bully... I guess being with Arnold would make you seem... oh what's the word I'm looking for? Oh, right. Weak."

I stood silent in front of her. Frozen with rage.

"But who am I kidding," She began to chuckle and brought her dainty hand up to cover her mouth as she laughed, "as if someone like Arnold would want anything to do with you."

"This chat has been great, Rhonda. Really, really great. Enlightening, even. But you know, I think I have a lot more important things to do like watch paint dry or do some impromptu algebra or even just going to take a shit would be better than this...so I think I'm gonna go."

"Such vulgarity. I'd watch my mouth if I were you Pataki. Arnold won't be so patient, I'm sure."

But as I stormed off, I blocked out her laugh and made my way around the block, through a few allies and right up to Arnold's fire escape.

Gerald or no Gerald, I was coming in.

I needed SOMEBODY to assure me all those horrible things Rhonda said to me were untrue- even if I knew they weren't.

But more importantly, I had to figure out what we were going to do about Rhonda.

Those lips have done a lot of things, but spreading gossip was what she was most famous for.

And I wasn't about to let the whole school turn Arnold and I into some big rumor-fest, even if that rumor was true.

Sure, you might say we had to tell everyone eventually but... well eventually hadn't come yet and I wasn't ready.

I wasn't ready to let down those walls again.

I wasn't ready to face the comments or the laughter.

I wasn't ready to share our relationship just yet... it was still ours.

I pulled the window open above Arnold's room and hopped in, not caring enough to use the ladder.

"H-Helga?" Arnold stuttered out, his eyes wide, "Wh-wh-what are you d-doing here? RIGHT NOW." He emphasized.

"'Sup, Geraldo." I nodded my head his direction and took a deep breath, my eyes now shooting over to look at Arnold who still looked stunned. "Rhonda. I ran into Rhonda."

"Okay..?"

"And since when was seeing Rhonda a good enough to jump into of ALL people's room, my man ARNOLD's? I think I can speak for both of us when I say: Helga G. Pataki, you should probably-"

"Gerald, Helga and I are kinda together."

"-get...out..." His voice trailed off as he rapidly looked between myself and his best friend who I loved.

 _Ready for laughter in 3...2...1..._

The room erupted in Gerald's clear amusement at Arnold's statement.

"You?" laughs "And HELGA?" more laughing "Helga PATAKI?" crazed laughter "TOGETHER?" hilarity "Like... like... DATING? YEAH RIGHT!" his chortle was uncontrollable and like nothing I had ever seen. The very idea seemed to be completely gut-wrenching. I looked over to Arnold who's cheeks were a bright red, but his hand still snaked down to grab mine and lace his fingers with mine.

My anger faded away with the tight squeeze he gave me before he, very boldly, faced Gerald.

"Gerald. I'm serious."

He wiped some laughter tears from his cheek, his smile fading as he looked at us; his eyes locking on our hands that were definitive proof of what Arnold had just told him.

"Wait... you... you're serious?" He asked and Arnold nodded his head. I felt the need to cower behind him, to hide my face and run out of there as fast as I could. I wanted to beat Gerald to a pulp for laughing so hard at me. At US. I wanted to scream at the reputation I had given myself, cursed myself with, but refused to part with in fear at being helpless and like some damsel in distress needing to be saved.

I was a jumbled mess of hurt, anger and complete humiliation.

Again.

"Look Ger _aldo_ , FIRST of all-"

"Helga-"

"You have NO RIGHT to-"

"HELGA." Arnold's voice stopped me in my tracks. "This is why I didn't want you here for this." He whispered to me and I remained stoic beside him. "But you're here now so just... just calm down, okay?" He pleaded and reluctantly I backed down, my gaze casting downwards to the patterns of his carpet.

"So... so how long?" Gerald asked and I held my breath for the answer.

"About 6 months."

His jaw dropped.

"SIX MONTHS?" he near shouted, and his hands reached up to touch the sides of his head, almost hold it in place. "And you didn't TELL me? That's LOW, Arnold. That's REAL LOW."

"Well, can you blame me? Look how you're reacting."

Gerald's hands dropped and he nodded his head a few times in thought. "Yeah. Fine. I guess you're right. But STILL Arnold. 6 Months?"

"Last year. Around February."

Gerald's head was still shaking in disbelief, and for a moment, a split second really, I felt bad for tall hair boy. I mean, here was his best friend basically saying he lied to him for half of a year which is like an eternity between best friends.

Oh shit.

How was Phoebe going to take this?

After all her support and pep talks about 'ice cream' and the late nights of my overreactions all throughout middle school.

How was I supposed to just tell her I'd lied to her too?

"So you're... you're... TOGETHER. Arnold and Helga. My man Arnold and... Helga G. Pataki. Mm mm MM this is all kinds of messed up."

"Not really, Gerald. But we can talk in a minute." He turned to face me and brushed a strand of hair away from my face. "So what did Rhonda say?"

"Just a bunch of shit about me and you and..." I glanced over to Gerald who was watching in awe at our reactions to one another- something he had never witnessed before. "It doesn't really matter. I-I don't know why I came here anyway." My tone was rude, condescending almost. I could feel my walls building up to the sky once more as I tried to retreat into myself once again.

He looked down at the book I was holding- His book.

"She saw my book, huh?" He guessed.

"You better believe she did."

Arnold reached over to take the book from my hands; his eyes studying the front and back of the book while flipping it over in his hands as if some kind of clue would be found on the brown paper.

"So you tell her you borrowed it, jeez." Gerald commented and I shot him a look.

"As if I would borrow from Arnold." I glanced to Arnold who's eyes glanced up and over to me to which I shrugged and added, "no offense."

He smiled. "I get it."

"So if she runs around saying anything, just-"

"She won't say anything." Gerald quickly chimed in, his voice now more serious than it had been just moments ago.

"And how do you know that? You hiding an all-seeing-eye in that tall hair of yours or what?"

"No, just trust me. If you don't want it to be known- it won't be. I got your back, Arnold." His eyes glanced to me for a moment and he raised an eyebrow at me. "And I guess yours too now, Pataki."

I rolled my eyes at his comment while he held out his thumb for Arnold allowing the pair to do that weird handshake thing they always do and Arnold grinned.

"Thanks, Gerald."

"And do we get to KNOW how it is you will be keeping Rhonda Wellington Lloyd's obnoxious mouth shut?"

"Let's just say... I may or may not have some knowledge about Rhonda, a closet and a certain Harold Berman."

"NO. WAY." I couldn't help reacting and Gerald grinned; nodding his head a few times knowingly.

"Hey- you aren't the only two around here with secrets." He smirked and moved to sit down on the couch in Arnold's room, crossing his right leg to sit on his left knee.

"And how did YOU of all people acquire such a knowledge of our classmates, hmm?" I pushed and he swung his arms up and around to rest behind his head; his legs stretching out to cross in front of him.

"I kinda caught them."

Arnold laughed out loud, "Gerald, seriously? In the closet of where?"

"Ah-ah-ah" he wagged a finger at Arnold and shook his head slightly. "Great secrets come with great responsibilities, kay? I can't just TELL you where they get their freak on."

I crossed my arms over my chest and cocked my hip slightly to adjust my weight on my left.

Must be a pretty juicy story, but I figured Arnold would tell me about it later because there was no way Gerald was going to just keep that kind of a story locked up under his unusually tall head of hair.

"Well I'll catch ya dorks later. I gotta get home to mother dearest."

"Still been bad?" Arnold asked, and my eyes noticed out of their peripheral vision that Gerald's attention had increased mildly to my words.

"Eh." I shrugged, "It's really a wonder I don't have my own reality show by now. But considering we don't have a lot of good experience with keeping our OWN family members around, I doubt my wackjob-of-a-family could keep any viewers sticking around either."

I walked over to Arnold and patted his shoulder a couple of times. "I'll see ya later, footballhead." I remarked, but his hand had grabbed mine before it could make it's way back to my side and pulled me into him so he could plant a kiss gently on my lips.

Gerald cringed.

 _What now, Ger_ aldo.

"I'll call."

"You better."

"You guys have SERIOUSLY gotta let a brotha' know when you're gonna start doing that."

"Gerald..."

"What? I haven't had 6 months to get used to it yet."

"Well GET used to it, bucko." I grinned and made my way up the ladder, out his window, and down the fire escape to hop onto the sidewalk just outside the Sunset Arms Boarding House.

Funny, all the memories a building could have.

Memories some knew, and others didn't.

Like a whole box made of bricks to hold in those secrets.

 _Secrets. How am I supposed to tell Phoebe this? What was I supposed to do, just WALTZ in her house, go up to her room and be all, "Hey Pheebs, breaking news! Helga G. Pataki is finally dating Football-head!"_

And then it hit me.

 _Doi!_

Standing outside the door to her familiar house, I took a deep breath and walked inside.

 _Looks like it's my turn now._


	3. Faking It

_**Sorry for the crazy long chapter, I just couldn't find a good stopping point so i kept on with it :)**_

 _ **Setting up some fun stuff here, guys! So make sure you let me know what you think by REVIEWING!**_

 _ **xoxo**_

 _ **Polkahotness**_

* * *

I made my way up the familiar steps and into Phoebe's room to tell her the not-so-new news.

"Knock knock!" I announced as I opened the door to Phoebe's room without warning.

"Helga!" She exclaimed, her body jolting slightly as she sat on her bed among a pile of books.

"The one and only." I smirked and walked over to sit on the blue chair that had been in Phoebe's room for my butt's comfort ever since I could remember.

"What are you doing here? Did I miss a call?" she started to look around her for what I assumed was her cellphone but I shook my head.

"No, no, no. I didn't call. Just thought I'd... pop on by."

Phoebe stopped looking around her and instead looked at me with a warm smile on her face.

"Oh. Well it's nice to see you, Helga. Did you wish to talk about something in particular or-"

"As a matter of fact, that's exactly what I wanted to do." I leaned forward in the chair to look at her and take a sharp breath to prepare myself for part two of the conversation I had just had with Geraldo and Arnold.

"Okay." She closed the book that sat directly in front of her and nodded once in my direction. I took a moment to thank my lucky stars that Phoebe was a little easier to handle than tall hair boy.

"You see, Pheebs, I uh... Well you've been really busy with all your school junk and I have been meaning to sit down and talk to you about this but-"

"Is this about..." her voice quieted as she leaned in a little closer to me, "ice cream?"

"Ice cream? Oh right. Uh- yeah. It's about Arnold."

Her eyes widened a bit at the use of his name so casually and she scrunched her eyebrows together as a silent cue for me to explain.

"Criminy, how am I supposed to just say this." I muttered to myself before taking another breath and pulling my legs up to tuck them underneath my butt on the chair. "So you know how I hate Arnold?"

"Quite the opposite though, isn't it?"

I reached up to adjust the beanie that was slipping off of my head and cleared my throat. "Well yeah, but that's not the point. Everyone thinks that I hate him, right?"

"I suppose that would be right, yes." She said thoughtfully, and I continued.

"Well I don't."

Phoebe smiled and carefully folded her hands together and into her lap. "I've known that for a while, Helga. If you recall I was the first person-"

"Pheebs, just... just listen okay?"

She reached up to charade a zipper being zipped over her mouth and her chipper voice squeaked out, "Listening!" allowing me to blurt it all out.

"I say I don't because... even though I don't talk to Arnold at school or even bug him or anything anymore... well I mean, I uh, I kinda do outside of school."

"I don't understand."

"I've been seeing him outside of school, Pheebs."

She adjusted her weight slightly as she sat on her bed; her face now blank as she thought through what I was telling her.

"Seeing him as in spending time together?"

I nodded my head, a small smile instinctively settling on my lips.

"Well that's wonderful, Helga. I'm glad you've been able to shed some of your pride to befriend him."

I shook my head.

"No like... well. More than... more than that."

A spark of light shot through Phoebe's eyes as she processed just what I had told her.

"Do you mean to say that you and Arnold are in a relationship?" I nodded my head and she hopped off of her bed to rush over to me and envelop me in a hug. I awkwardly let her hug me before I wrapped my arms around her thin frame and hugged her back.

"I'm so happy for you, Helga!" she exclaimed, and for whatever reason, I blushed.

 _Yuck. What's with all the feelings?_

"When did this begin, if I may ask?" She pulled away from me and stood just in front of where I was seated as we talked.

"Uh... that's the hard part. It was... It was kinda like six months ago."

"Oh." She responded, this information not seeming to phase her all that much. "Why have you waited such a long time to tell people?"

"Well, we aren't exactly TELLING people all willy nilly or nothin'."

"If you aren't telling anybody, why tell me?"

"Well FIRST, Pheebs- you're kinda my best friend. SECOND, Rhonda kinda sorta almost found out. Kinda. She's being blackmailed by Geraldo."

"Gerald?" His name fell off of her lips delicately and I cocked a brow at her.

"You got a thing for tall hair boy, Pheebs?"

It was her turn to blush, the pale pink spreading through her cheeks.

"I suppose he is someone I would say I was fond of. If I really thought about it that is." She turned around to sit back on her bed and reopen the book she had closed earlier. "But I'm much too busy for any kind of relationship right now. Yale is already taking applications for my class and I have to be prepared to send in mine within the next few months. There's just..." She sighed tiredly, "just so much to be done."

I pushed myself up and off of the chair and took a few steps towards her, making my way for the door.

"You really should take a load off. Maybe I could get Gerald to come out with us sometime and we could... I dunno. Order pizza in or something."

"Are you suggesting a double date with Gerald and Arnold?" Her eyes searched mine for a moment and I shrugged.

"Yeah. Guess I am, huh?" I reached behind my back to grip the brass handle of her bedroom door. "Thanks Phoebe."

"For what, Helga?"

"For not laughing. Or getting mad or whatever."

Phoebe smiled again.

"Of course, Helga."

"You won't tell anyone our secret, will you?" I asked, my voice coming out a little harsh.

"I won't tell anyone."

"Like, you swear on your soul and all your Yale applications and future scholarships you won't tell?"

She adjusted the glasses resting on her nose and pursed her lips slightly; a smile still hinting on her face.

"You can trust me, Helga."

"I'll seeya later, Pheebs." and I opened the door to leave her room, but her small voice called after me.

"Helga?"

I peeked my head into her room from the crack in the door.

"Yeah?"

"If I... If I change my mind about wanting to do what you were suggesting... with Gerald and all... would you set it up?'

"Well doi." I winked her way before closing the door and leaving her room and house altogether in a rush to get home.

Tomorrow I would have to face school with Rhonda's eyes following my every move until she found something better to occupy her time with.

At least Phoebe knew.

And I believed that Gerald would push Rhonda off our trails which would prove to be the nicest thing Tall Hair Boy had done for me yet.

Life was good.

Well, good-ish.

I walked in the door of my house, slamming it behind me.

"Miriam! I'm here!"

"Oh, Helga," her words slurred from I assumed the couch where she was laying. "You're home...home early."

"Not really, _Mom._ Its almost 6. At night. Like when the moon comes out. How long have you been sleeping?"

The couch creaked as she pushed herself to sit up and turn around to look at me as I stood in the doorway.

"Uh... let's see here," She looked down at her empty wrist and sighed. "Oh probably since... just since you left this morning."

"Right. Well, have you eaten?" I tossed my jacket onto the back of the couch and leaned on it as I looked at my tired, poor excuse for a mom, Miriam.

"I had a smoothie."

"Right. So we're gonna go with 'No.'" I pushed myself up to meander my way into the kitchen and open up a few cupboard doors.

Bob had left Miriam when I was in 9th grade. It'd been really messy and really assholey since Big Bob got the best lawyer he could and just went to town on her and all the stuff he wanted.

I hated to admit it, but I actually felt kinda bad for her.

So nowadays, instead of taking care of myself since my parents wouldn't, I was taking care of my mom because she couldn't.

And Bob was off in New Mexico with some bimbo he picked up off the internet.

My bet was some mail order bride but hey- I guess even they have standards.

They always claim on the dating site commercials that it's the best way to meet the love of your life- guaranteed.

But what happens to the one you ditch at home to pursue the 'love of your life' huh?

The one who gets left starts drinking even more than they did before, that's what happens.

I grabbed a sleeve of saltine crackers and brought them to where Miriam had gone back to laying on the couch. Tossing them her way, I turned around to head upstairs to my room. "I found some crackers so, here's that. I can order chinese tonight if you want. Will you eat?"

I thought I saw a shrug from under the heap of blankets and sighed, turning around to slowly make my way up the stairs. "Fine, but if you don't eat, don't come crying to me when you're hungry, Mom."

Flopping on my bed, I lay on back and sighed, my eyes closing softly as I took in the events of my day.

It felt good to get out the secret- at least if it was just to Phoebe.

* * *

Thankfully at school, it was pretty easy to be inconspicuous about Arnold and mine's relationship. Aside from the stank-eyed glances Rhonda shot me in the hallways, nobody had a clue.

And it wasn't like Arnold and I had a bunch of classes together either; just one. English.

I loved English class. And my teacher loved me. Heck, I was the only one who ever turned in a halfway decent paper in my entire grade- so Mrs. Otten practically worshiped the ground I stomped on. She was always writing these notes on my papers encouraging me to go to school for composition; she always said it was my destiny to share my words with the world.

Pssh.

Anyway, hair boy and I had that class together. He sat way far on the other side of the room from me, but we were directly in front of each other and during movies or presentations, we'd make faces at each other and mouth conversations. It was the only time we saw each other for most of the day.

It was only so hard to be AROUND the kid because of the image we had to uphold. The whole school was under the assumption that Football-head and I hadn't said a single word to each other since around 9th grade or so.

I hated Arnold Shortman. And he hated Helga G. Pataki.

That was just common knowledge around the halls.

So if Arnold and I were ever supposed to interact... I don't even think I'd know how to pick back up on being so mean to him.

So I was thankful it was just one class we shared.

Other times, Arnold and I would use free time in our classes to our advantage. We'd text each other and leave class around the same time to meet briefly in the corner of the Science Hall where this tiny little spot hid underneath the stairway going up to the Spanish Wing.

"Hey bucko," I greeted him as he approached; my arms softly crossed over my chest, "How long you got?" I asked and he smiled.

"Probably 15 minutes. Mr. K never notices where we go when we have study time. That room is so chaotic it's hard to know when anyone comes back."

I rolled my eyes.

"You always get the unobservant teachers you lucky duck."

He shook his head.

"That's not true, you're just easier to notice when you're gone." A wide grin lit up his face and I playfully pushed him away from me, although he continued towards me, soon leaning in to kiss me a few times gently on my neck.

Pleasure rippled through my body as his lips brushed against my skin.

"You have to work tonight?" He mumbled as he traced my collar bone with his soft pecks.

"Mmhm..." I hummed, my eyes shutting softly.

"Until..?" he asked, his lips now making their way up my neck and to my jaw bone. Instinctively, I tilted my head back.

"S-s-seven." I stuttered out and I felt Arnold's lips curl into a smile.

"Should I visit?"

I gently traced my finger tips up his back underneath his shirt; my cool fingers dancing across his warm skin.

"If...If you w-want to... no... n-no sweat off my back." I let out a breathy laugh; Arnold's lips now hovering against mine. I opened my eyes to look at him- his eyes intent on mine.

"I can do that." He whispered before leaning in to connect our lips together in a wild embrace.

I could never get enough of Arnold.

The way his breath cooled my skin and my boiling insides drove me wild. His lips seemed perfectly fit to mine and it was always difficult for me to stop our make-out sessions before they escalated too quickly.

Arnold wasn't ready to have sex.

I mean, of course we wouldn't ever dare at school, doi. But the subject of sex had come up before... we were only human anyway. And teenage ones at that. So right around our sixth month this month right before we had told Phoebe and Gerald, Arnold and I discussed exactly what our views were on the whole sex thing.

 _"I just want to make sure that when I DO have sex, I'm completely sure that I love the person."_

 _"So you only want to have sex with one person for forever or what?" I asked, but he shook his head._

 _"No, I mean... life happens. People fall in love lots of times in their lives and meet people and have sex and that's... that's life. So if I ended up having sex with various people throughout my life, that's not the issue for me." He set his book down that he'd been studying and turned to face me as we sat on his bed. "The only thing that matters to me is that when I do have sex, especially for the first time, it's with somebody really important to me. Does that make sense?"_

 _I leaned over and lay my head on his lap, and he started to absentmindedly comb his fingers through my hair._

 _"So you just wanna... stay clear of the whole sex stuff? Stick to just kissing?"_

 _"Well...maybe not...I mean, we could do SOME stuff."_

 _I smirked and rolled over to lie on my back and look up at him; his attention focusing on splaying out my hair chunk by chunk._

 _"Oh really? We have rules?"_

 _"Guidelines." He decided and I raised a brow._

 _"Alright. Let's hear them."_

 _He nodded his head and thought for a moment before nodding his head and beginning. "Well no... no sex in the uh- the traditional sense."_

 _"I think they call that 'penetration', football-head." I laughed and his cheeks flushed red._

 _"I'm serious, Helga."_

 _"Yeah, yeah, yeah. No sex, not a bit-"_

 _"Well maybe eventually..." His voice trailed off and I blinked a few times._

 _"Eventually, huh?"_

 _Arnold looked down at me, his eyes roaming my facial features for a moment. "I think...just because I'm not ready right now, doesn't mean I won't be. Obviously one day... I'll be ready. And you?" He raised his eyebrow at me. "How do you feel about all this?"_

 _"I just wanna hear the rest of your guidelines, bub. Then I'll tell you what I think."_

 _Arnold lifted his arms to cross them over his chest. "Fine." He said with a smile. "Next guideline is... I don't want to be a complete prude."_

 _"What is that even supposed to mean?" I said with a chuckle and he rolled his eyes._

 _"Means I'm not... against trying stuff."_

 _"Like?" I asked, still laughing._

 _"Like..." He leaned down to begin kissing me, his hand resting on my neck and my hand reaching up to pull him closer._

 _Suddenly, he pulled away from me. "Like if that led to something else."_

 _"You're not being very specific. That could have easily led to sex if you let it. You are old enough to use the big kid words, so just spit it out." My heart was beating against my chest after that kiss and he took a deep breath._

 _"So like if you wanted me to...well, t-"_

 _"Arnold. If you're asking if you can touch me, the answer is yes. Go for it. I'm totally yours. Touch away."_

 _He chuckled for a moment, shaking his head. "Don't sound eager there, Helga."_

 _"Just been waiting my whole life and all. So you can do whatever, what do I get to do?" I asked, and he blushed mildly at the question and chewed on his lip for a second._

 _"You can do...uh...anything, if you want. But just not sex."_

 _"Anything but sex, huh? I think I can handle that, bucko."_

 _"So that's what you think? About the guidelines?"_

 _"Oh I like the guidelines. When do you wanna start?" I asked with a sly grin and he rolled his eyes._

 _"Whenever I guess. You pick."_

 _I tapped my lip with my index finger. "Tomorrow? I'll give you tonight alllllll to yourself. Consider it a last 'hoorah.'"_

Arnold had laughed pretty hard at that one.

Anyway, since then... it wasn't like we hadn't done stuff. We were like any regular teenage couple with crazy hormones that made us all hot and bothered for each other and wanted to rip the other's clothes off at any instant. But with Arnold... things just led there- he never asked or expected anything from me or I from him. I loved that we could spend nights 'Netlfix and chilling' without anything but pizza, laughing and spending time together. In fact, I could count on both my hands the amount of times we had done any serious SERIOUS stuff, but it _had_ become more frequent as of late.

It's just... the way Arnold's smooth hands felt against my skin in those heated moments between us... it gave a whole new meaning to the word 'ecstasy.' I craved the feel of his skin on mine, even if our underwear still kept us apart from each other. That had been another rule- no completely naked stuff. A late addition.

But as much as Arnold thought that it bothered me that he wasn't ready to have sex, the truth of the matter was I didn't mind at all.

I waited most of my LIFE for Arnold to even NOTICE me, more or less kiss me of his own free will. So waiting for sex would be a breeze, especially since we had plenty of other things to do in the meantime.

His lips lingered on mine for a moment before suddenly pulling away from me to look at me as we stood in our nook in the hallway.

"Hey," I quietly called after him as he stood before me, "we still have like 10 minutes."

"Yeah, but," he started, a sly smile slithering its way onto his face, "I really should use my study time."

"You're acing that class. I think you could spare a few more minutes on me, right football-head?"

He shook his head, leaning in to peck me on my lips and turning away from me to walk back to his class. "It's much more fun to let you sit and stew about it."

"So you're just gonna get me all hot and bothered and ditch so I have to THINK about it?" My voice was more desperate than angry, and Arnold nodded his head as he walked away from me.

"Yep."

"Seriously."

"You got it!" He held an 'ok' hand sign up above his head so I could see it as he disappeared in the hallway.

"You'll regret this, Arn _oldo_ , you'll see!" I hollered out, and I heard him chuckle softly as he rounded the corner to leave me and my thoughts to wander about him and that beautiful oblong-shaped head.

"Whatever you say, Helga." I just barely heard him say before I too left our spot to make my way back to class.

* * *

"What was your DEAL today?" I asked Arnold while I put away some vinyls into their correct artist slots.

I had worked at 'Hillwood Records' for about three months now, and it was a breeze of a first job. The store didn't have many customers to deal with, but somehow the store was doing incredibly well. I figured a lot had to do with their new website that kept me busy enough. It seemed I was always packaging music and sending it off for people I guessed were too introverted to actually leave the house.

It just made it easier for Arnold to come visit me, which never bothered him seeing as he spent most of his time browsing through Jazz records I'd never heard off.

Kid was a jazz fanatic.

"What deal?" he asked, picking up a record and turning it over to read the back of the sleeve.

I stopped what I was doing and leaned against the counter while watching him.

"You. Me. The Science Hall."

A smile graced his lips. "I don't know what you're talking about, Helga."

"Seriously, football-head?"

He tucked the album under his arm and continued to thumb through the records; his attention never turning to me as he did so.

"Did it bother you or something?" He asked and I felt heat rush to my cheeks at this question.

Arnold was never the one to initiate things. At least he didn't usually.

Today was out of the norm for hair boy. Usually when we met at the science hall I was the one who was all over him. It just always made sense I was the one to start anything.

"N-no. No, it didn't BUCKO." I tried to sound mean and he laughed.

"That doesn't work on me anymore, Helga. The whole 'mean routine.' You know that." He looked at me over his shoulder and grinned, my heart swooning.

"Doesn't mean I don't enjoy giving it to you every once in a while."

"Just like every once in a while, maybe I like to start things instead of you Helga G. Pataki."

The bell on top of the door rang and I figured it was just Jim- our most regular customer. He usually came in around this time to pick up a few records, or just browse for an hour or so.

So Arnold and I continued.

"So hair boy, what exactly are you doing after this? I work till 9, now. Alice called in for her shift. Although, you'd think she'd be able to suck it up and work her two hour shift."

He shrugged and walked a few steps to another rack of sale records and searched through them for a lucky find.

"She does that a lot though, doesn't she? Anyway, I figured I'd give Gerald a call." the shadow of the person who walked into the store didn't fit Jim's. I looked over in their direction to try and see their face, but they were hiding behind a rack of weird necklaces the store sold.

"Helga? Are you listening to me?"

"Hmm?" I focused my attention back on Arnold and sighed. "What did you say?"

He smirked and walked up to the counter setting a few things down.

"I asked if you wanted to come over after work or if you were going straight home."

"Arnold?" A voice called out, the voice of the mysterious figure I had been trying to identify.

The color drained from my face as he approached us.

"S-Sid?" Arnold stuttered out and I grew rigid, straightening my posture at his appearance.

"Hey man, what are you doing here?"

"What are YOU doing here?" I spit out and his eyes glanced at me with a brow raised.

"This IS Hillwood Records, right? I was just looking for the new Mad Scadz record. But then I heard you and Arnold over here talking and I… well I had to figure out if what I was hearing was true."

I swallowed the dry lump that had grown in my throat as he spoke.

"I was just talking to Helga is all." Arnold replied calmly. I envied his cool composure.

"Really? I thought you guys hated each other."

"C'mon Sid. You know Hair Boy over here. He uh..." I tried to think of something, "He just can't keep that big head of his to himself."

"No. I really can't." his eyes met mine and I felt my blood boil again under his look.

"Riiiiiight..." Sid said, wandering over to the sale bin Arnold had just been scoping through.

"Just kinda weird cause I haven't seen you two talk in like... ever." he continued and I rubbed at the back of my neck.

"Just because you don't see us talk doesn't mean we don't." Arnold answered and gestured for me to begin ringing up his stuff.

"Yeah but... NOBODY sees you guys even interact."

"We interact plenty." I chimed in and Arnold's head snapped to look at me, Sid's focus still on the sales bin.

"Really?" He asked and Arnold crossed his arms, his eyes still locked on mine as Sid kept searching.

"You don't have to talk to interact with someone." I chewed on my lip as he looked at me with those green eyes... a whole other conversation happening between the two of us as Sid absentmindedly listened to the conversation.

"Yeah," I scoffed, now leaning on the counter, my elbows holding me up, "there's slamming into lockers, and pushing..." images flashing before my eyes as I spoke.

"Or the occasional after school bumping into."

Sid picked up a couple records and tossed them on the counter in front of me.

"After school, huh?"

"Oh yeah." Arnold continued, "We bump into each other ALL the time. Hard to escape Helga G. Pataki."

"Boy howdy, you got that right."

"I'm still right here, ya know."

"I know." His eyes were glimmering as he spoke and a smile was hiding just beneath the deadpan he was giving me.

 _That football-headed goon was teasing me._

"S-So you gonna pay or what, Sid?"

"Why? You need to plan some more after school bumping into?"

I raised my brow at him, "What?"

He walked towards the counter and tapped his fingers on the surface as I continued ringing up the things Arnold was buying.

"You get off at 9. That's what you said."

"You were EAVESDROPPING, you little punk?"

"It doesn't matter, Helga. It's just Sid."

"Bu-" I tried, but Arnold cut me off.

"I tutor Helga."

"You WHAT?" I almost shouted and he nodded his head.

"No use in being ashamed of it, Helga. Algebra can be pretty difficult."

"I'll show you something difficult," I muttered, but he continued as if I had said nothing.

"And sometimes Helga helps me with my english homework. I'm not very good with words. Helga has quite the knack for them. She really knows how to use her talents to get a point across."

Sid began to laugh and I narrowed my eyes his way.

"Helga?! Talents! Yeah right!"

"You know what, Sid? I should break your dumb nose for that comment-"

But Arnold kept going.

"Helga has a lot of talents. Things you wouldn't even know."

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

I smirked, "Like looking at you and without even saying a word, telling you I'm gonna pound your face in." I glared and Sid's face dropped slightly.

"Helga has mastered the art of speaking without words." His eyes met mine and I realized it wasn't just me who was gifted with such a talent.

"Shut your trap, Arn _oldo_ , or I'll do it for you."

He wiggled his eyebrows at me slightly, almost egging me on.

"How much do I owe you?" He asked and I stumbled to twist the screen so he could see his total. "Twelve eighty-three, football-head."

He handed me fifteen bucks and grabbed the bag with all of his things in it. "You can keep the change, Helga."

"Oh boy. Two dollars and seventeen cents. I'm rolling in the dough now."

"Jeez, Helga. Arnold can't seem to do a signle thing right by you, huh?" Sid asked as I began to ring up the few things he was buying.

"You got THAT right. That's exactly why I'm cancelling our 'tudoring sessions' indefinitely, Hair Boy."

"Why's that?"

"I have a REPUATION to uphold. And it can't be ruined by being associated with you and your freakish head."

He shrugged carelessly as Sid paid me and I handed him his change.

"Whatever you say, Helga."

"Well this has been... really REALLY weird. See ya later, Arnold." Sid grabbed his bag and nodded once in my direction. "Thanks Helga."

"For doing my job? Pfft."

And in a moment, he was gone.

"What the HELL was that?!" I practically screamed at Arnold and he laughed while setting his bag down. "Tudoring me? Really? That was the BEST YOU HAD?"

"It's... believable."

"Yeah right! I get better grades than YOU do, ya yutz."

"Now, now, Helga. No need to be hostile."

I narrowed my eyes at him and crossed my arms tightly across my chest.

"People will be talking about this FOREVER. So much for our secret." I mumbled.

"Helga. We don't even talk in school. Nobody will believe SID. This is the same kid who smokes pot in the parking lot at school and trips on Acid on the weekends. You're fine."

"You don't think anyone will think anything of it?" I asked, my voice sounding vulnerable and scared.

Arnold Leaned over the counter to lightly press his lips against mine.

"Helga...we never even talk in school."

I sighed and leaned back against the wall behind the counter.

"I guess you got a point, Arn _oldo_." feeling my heart relax slightly, I walked around the counter to continue with what I had been doing before Sid had shown up. "That's a relief, cause that SUCKED."

"You're out of practice. Of bullying me that is."

"It wasn't BULLYING, Arnold. It was flirting."

"Flirting. Helga."

"Okay, okay, so maybe I could have been A LITTLE nicer, but I was 9 and you loved Lila so I was at a disadvantage."

"If you say so. But are you coming over tonight, or what?" he asked again and I shrugged.

"Nah. I gotta read up on that Shakespeare worksheet Mrs. Otten gave us to prepare for that lame-o presentation we're gonna do soon."

"Presentation?"

"What," I dropped a record into it's appropriate spot, "your attention elsewhere in English class, Arnold?"

"Seems so." he smiled and picked up the bag he had set down and made his way to the front of the store. "I'll text you later, Helga."

"Sure will, bucko."

the bell rang just above the door as he opened it and left me alone in the store once again.

"Sheesh," I mumbled to myself as I continued to stock the store, "THAT was a nightmare."

"I never want to do that AGAIN. Who woulda thought ME, Helga G. Pataki, could lose her edge with football-head?" I shook my head in frustration.

The rest of the night proved uneventful. And after I locked up, made my way home, worked on english, made dinner for my very out-of-it mother and called Arnold for the night, I was EXHAUSTED.

So when I made it to school the next morning and entered English class, I wasn't prepared for what was in store.

"Alright, class!" Mrs. Otten's voice rang through the tired classroom; our attention all focusing on her at the front of the room. "You'll see on the white board that I have paired you all into groups for our next assignment- Shakespeare!"

I tried to look behind her to find my name, but she kept moving as she talked, so I quickly gave up to listen to the rest of what she was saying.

"You will have two weeks to modernize one of five incredibly well-known writings. You will then film them and present them in front of the class. Up on the white board you will see who you will be grouped with and which story you have been assigned. Now this project is going to count for HALF OF YOUR GRADE, so make sure you remain focused during your work time for the next two weeks. So go ahead, find your groups, and start working on your concept! Feel free to spread out, you'll have the rest of the period to work."

Once Mrs. Otten stopped blocking the board, I found my name easily.

 _Romeo and Juliet_ I read and smirked to myself. "Fantastic."

"Oh, isn't it?" Eugene added to my solo conversation and I turned around to look at him.

"What's it to you?"

"Well I'm in your group, Helga. See?" he pointed up ahead to the board, my jaw soon dropping to see the other thwo names beside mine and Eugene's.

"Gosh, I'm just ever so excited to do Romeo and Juliet. Aren't you?"

 _Li_ la.

"Yeah.. y-yeah I suppose so.'

"Kinda ironic, don't you think, Helga?" Arnold's voice asked and I looked at him with panic in my eyes before taking a breath and changing my demeanor.

"What's so IRONIC about it, football-head?"

"If my memory serves me right, Helga, wasn't it you and Arnold who played Romeo and Juliet in fourth grade?" Lila asked as she took a seat in the empty desk beside Eugene, leaving Arnold to sit next to me.

 _If memory serves her right,_ I internally groaned, _she gave me the part for pete's sake._

"Yeah... So?"

"So, I think it would just be ever so fun for you two to be Romeo and Juliet again, don't you think Eugene?"

"Of course! What a great idea, Lila! It can be like a revival!"

"G-guys... I'm... I'm not so sure I-"

"I think it's a great idea, Helga." I turned to look at Arnold.

"You're kidding me."

"C'mon. It'll be fun. Like old times."

 _Old times... Criminy._

Mrs. Otten approached toting Rhonda behind her.

"Guys, I'm so sorry, but it looks like I completely forgot to give Rhonda here a group... do you mind if she joins yours?"

"As if anyone could forget Rhonda Wellington Lloyd, well I never." her voice was snotty, and she tilted her head up, shutting her eyes in true conceited fashion.

"Sure!" Eugene eagerly responded, and the color drained from my face.

"Excellent." Rhonda said, her eyes lighting up. "I can't wait."

But I could.

 _This... couldn't get any worse._


	4. Let the Lying Begin

_**Jeez, what is my deal with long chapters lately? haha!**_

 _ **A LOT going on here, so make sure you pay attention to the italics- there are a lot of flashbacks happening simultaneously with dialogue.**_

 _ **ANYWAY,**_

 _ **Read, Review, and Follow! lots more to come!**_

 _ **xox**_

 _ **Polkahotness**_

* * *

 __I paced around his room.

"This is a NIGHTMARE. First Sid, now THIS? What are we supposed to do? CRIMINY!"

"Helga. Calm down."

"Calm down?! CALM DOWN?! How can I CALM DOWN when the WHOLE SCHOOL is going to know something I'M NOT READY to tell!"

"No one will find out if you don't want them to, Helga."

"Are you dumb?" I turned to face him and his eyes widened slightly as I yelled in his face. "Are you STUPID? Does your weird-shaped head not comprehend what I'm telling you, Arnold?!" I turned around and continued pacing. "Think Helga, old girl, just think..."

I heard Arnold chuckle slightly from where he was seated on his bed.

"And just what could possibly be funny?" I snapped and he shrugged.

"Just... how you're acting."

"What's that? Scared? Enraged? Panicked?!"

"No. Like the old Helga. The one before me, us."

I stood silent in front of him.

" _How do you think we should modernize_ Romeo and Juliet, _Rhonda?" Eugene asked and she rolled her eyes and moved her head to rest on the heel of her hand._

" _I really don't care."_

" _Rhonda, I'm just ever so certain with an attitude like that, we won't get a very good score on our presentation."_

" _So what? I'm supposed to be the brains of this project or something?" Her beady little eyes moved to glance between Arnold and I. "If you ask ME, I think Arnold and Helga probably have a pretty good idea about the_ Romeo and Juliet _thing. Right? The whole..." she twirled her hands around each other as if trying to churn out her thoughts, "secret lover thing."_

 _I clenched my teeth and scowled in her direction._

" _And just WHAT gives you THAT idiotic idea?"_

" _I am simply trying to do my part of the assignment, Helga. No need to pounce."_

" _Then what are you getting at, Princess?"_

" _Simply that you two have played these characters before so I assume you understand the secret lover thing. That's all."_

" _That's all my ass..." I muttered, feeling hot under Arnold's eyes watching me._

" _Well," he started, clearly trying to change the direction of our current conversation, "why not start the modernization thing with phones? I'd say that can really update the story."_

" _That's a GREAT idea, Arnold!" Eugene sang, writing down his idea on a blank sheet of notebook paper._

" _Great idea?" I repeated, "Any idiot could have thought of that one."_

" _Any idiot, huh?" Arnold asked and I smirked._

" _You're that special kind of idiot, Arn_ oldo _."_

" _So you're calling me special? Thanks, Helga."_

 _I groaned._

This is going to be a lot harder than I thought...I _thought to myself,_ Arnold is basically immune to my banter now... how am I supposed to get everyone to think we hate each other?

" _I wouldn't say 'special' is a compliment. More of a... uh... you know. Insult."_

Wow. That was all I got?

" _Helga, I'm ever so certain there's no reason to start insulting Arnold." Lila chimed in and I shook my head at her, Arnold quickly coming to my rescue._

" _It's alright, Lila." He smiled at her and I tightened my hands into fists under the desk. "I can handle a little from Helga."_

" _You can probably handle a lot."_

" _By now, I'm sure that's probably true." Rhonda mumbled and I shot her a look._

" _So we have cell phones," Eugene tried to push on, though Rhonda and I were caught in a deadlock of looks. "What else?"_

" _We could use some different words, I'm sure." Lila said, her eyes watching Arnold as he watched me._

 _This made me furious._

" _Can we change the plot at all?" Rhonda asked suddenly and I scrunched my eyebrows together._

" _The plot. You just want to go and change the plot to_ Romeo and Juliet?"

" _Well, add to it really."_

" _Go for it. What would you like to add, Princess?"_

 _A sly grin painted her perfectly made up face._

" _Sex."_

" _E-excuse me?" I stuttered out._

" _A lot more sex. And drinking. I mean, c'mon! If we are going to update this dead story, might as well make it accurate to the current teenage condition. And that involves a lot of sex and booze."_

"The old Helga is dead, Arnold. And you know that."

"Not entirely. You showed it today with Rhonda."

I walked over to sit next to him on his bed.

"Rhonda is different. You on the other hand... you don't react like you used to."

"Because I understand you now, Helga."

"But you CAN'T. Don't you see? The more you-you DON'T react to me, the more I falter and...and... and I just can't do this, Arnold. Not with Rhonda around. Or _Li_ la."

"What's wrong with Lila?" He questioned and I twisted my body to face him directly.

"You're kidding, right? The girl loves you now."

"But I don't love her." his words were so careless; as if she was never a thought on his mind.

I internally jumped for joy.

"But you know that, Helga. So why is it all bothering you so much?"

" _All I'm SAYING Lloyd, is that you are RIDICULOUS if you think we are going to make some kind of gross teen porn."_

" _That is not AT ALL what I said, Helga. How tasteless do you think I am?"_

" _Look guys," Eugene cut in nervously, probably in fear of getting attacked which at this moment in time was pretty possible. "The video only needs to be seven minutes long... We don't have to do the whole play..."_

" _THAT'S a relief." I sighed and leaned my head back, dropping the weight of my head so it pulled at the tense muscles in my neck. "As if I need to repeat all of my fourth grade woes with Hair Boy over here."_

" _You afraid of kissing me again or something?" he stated calmly and I shot my head up to glare at him._

" _Gonna play that card, are we football-head?"_

" _Can we please just stick to the modernization? We only have a few minutes left in class and-"_

" _Can it, Eugene. We are having an important conversation over here."_

" _I'm quite certain that Eugene-"_

" _LILA." All I had to do was shout her name for her to zip her lips and I continued with Arnold. "You couldn't PAY ME to kiss you again, Bucko."_

" _Well I find THAT hard to believe." I heard Rhonda say, but I ignored her._

" _This is just an assignment, Helga."_

" _An ASSIGNMENT I didn't want to get paired with YOU to do!"_

 _He blinked a few times and I couldn't read what his eyes were trying to tell me._

"It BOTHERS me because I can't treat you like an insignificant nothing if behind the scenes we're this... we're-"

"Together? Think of it as... as flirting."

I rolled my eyes.

"Flirting. Really, Arnold?"

"You're the one who said before that that was all it was, right? So why can't it be like that now? The only difference is this time, the flirting leads to something besides me being eternally confused about what you want from me."

" _I don't want ANYTHING from you, Arnold."_

" _That's a little harsh."_

" _Stop playing with me, Hair boy." I could tell I was shaking. This wasn't going well AT ALL. I couldn't keep being mean if he didn't retaliate._

" _So cell phones... drinking?" Eugene choked out and Lila patted him on the shoulder._

" _It's all okay, Eugene. I'm just ever so certain once they get it out of their systems, we will be able to finish the project."_

" _I hope so..." He mumbled._

 _I almost felt bad for the klutz. He didn't know what he was getting himself into._

 _Hell, I didn't either._

" _Dare I ask what scene we want to do?" Eugene tried and Rhonda turned to look at him._

" _How about the final scene? Helga, you did SUCH a good job with it last time... I can't imagine how well you would do now that you're older and more... experienced."_

" _Experienced in WHAT exactly?"_

 _She shrugged._

"Leads to something as in like what? Sexual tension?"

He shrugged.

"I guess so."

I walked over to him and sat straddle on his lap, my face close to his as I combed my fingers through his hair.

"Why? My being mean get YOU all hot and bothered?"

"Sometimes."

I hated when he played the innocent, calm and collected boyfriend.

He was too good at it.

" _Fine. Let's do the final scene. Hell- I'll do whatever damn scene you want just to PROVE TO YOU how completely ridiculous you're being."_

" _What is she being ridiculous about, Helga? All she's done is offer suggestions-"_

" _Look, Eugene. You're a good kid. And I'd hate for you to get caught in these crossfires between Rhonda and I. So I SUGGEST you stay OUT of it and let us duel it out, got it?"_

 _The bell rang and I stood up as fast as I could, trying to run away from the nightmare that was playing out in front of me._

 _The only hold up was that my foot got caught on the desk and down I went._

 _And there was Arnold's hand._

Do I take it? Do I let him help me up? What would the old me do? Think, Helga, think!

 _I pushed his hand away and pushed myself up._

" _I don't need your HELP, hair boy. I can get up just fine by myself."_

" _Just trying to help, Helga."_

" _Well STOP. Offer your help to someone else who actually wants it."_

" _Sure, Helga. I can do that."_

"So you want me to ridicule you? To taunt you and make your life miserable? You... WANT that?"

"Maybe not quite as seriously...more...playfully."

"Playfully? And just how am I supposed to do that?"

He grabbed me by my hips and helped me to sit beside him again instead of on top of him.

"You'll figure it out. And I'll take it a bit more offensively next time, okay? You aren't the only one having a hard time with it."

I sighed and plopped back to lay on his bed.

"Doubt it."

"Really, Helga. I am." The bed creaked as he too lay down; his eyes focusing upwards out his window and to the clouds as they danced across the sky. "Just focus on me, okay?"

"What?"

"Don't tempt Rhonda. Don't mess with her." His tone was serious and I found my heart racing slightly at the sudden change in his demeanor. "She'll get you to blurt it out. That's what she's trying to do and you know it. Although... you COULD just tell people, Helga. You're the one who wants to keep it a secret."

I closed my eyes softly and thought back to when we first started dating.

" _Why don't you want anybody to know, Helga? If this is all you have always wanted... why don't you want to tell people?"_

 _I shrugged while I mindlessly played with the lines on his hand._

" _Because... because I don't want to be made fun of again."_

" _Helga..."_

" _No." I dropped his hand from mine, "Don't 'Helga' me. You may be used to being picked on by me, but everyone LOVES YOU Arnold. Even LILA does now, which completely astounds me why you haven't chosen her over me but that's not the point. Everyone LOVES you. And me... well... everyone would be just fine without me around making everybody's lives miserable."_

" _You don't make everyone's lives miserable, Helga." Arnold tried, but I wasn't having it._

 _He was wrong._

" _Nobody cares about me, Arnold. Not my parents. Not my teachers. Not my 'friends.' Nobody. I've been alone all my life, okay? And... and being mean makes it so they can't hurt me any more than I already am. Don't you see?"_

 _He studied me for a moment, his eyes tracing my face to get every detail of my distressed look._

" _I care about you, Helga."_

" _Arno-"_

" _I care about you. I notice you. I want you... I want you to be my girlfriend, Helga."_

 _I stared at him, my mind, body and soul completely at a loss for words; at a loss for a reaction._

" _Helga."_

"Helga?"

"Hmm?" I hummed, blinking my eyes rapidly to wake up up from the memory.

"I would be right by your side. If they all started to tease you, I'd be right there with you. Why can't we just tell people?"

He was pleading, practically begging.

But I just couldn't.

"I just...I can't yet, Arnold. I'm not... I'm not ready yet."

"You've kept this secret so long... liking me and now being with me. Why?"

"Because," I let out a big breath. "Because if you were to reject me...dump me or whatever... it would break my heart. And everyone would see it. I'd be weak. I'd have nothing. I'd just... be Helga again."

"And what's so wrong with Helga?" He reached out to tilt my head back up to face him; I guessed it had been wilting with each word of my confession. "Because I see nothing wrong with Helga."

I felt hot tears well in my eyes and I turned away from him.

"We can keep this a secret. It's okay with me, but we have to tell people eventually. I don't want to keep you as a secret forever."

Slowly I turned my head back to face him and nodded my head slowly. "I know."

He leaned in and kissed me tenderly. "And Helga," my eyes looked directly into his, "I won't reject you. Okay?"

I smiled softly and nodded my head again.

"Okay, Arnold."

* * *

I walked into class to see my dweebs of group partners plus Arnold sitting in a pod of desks.

 _Pods,_ I thought. _I haven't been in a pod since fifth grade._ I rolled my eyes and swung my backpack off of my shoulder to toss it under one of the desks before sliding into it to sit beside Eugene. Directly in front of me, was Arnold.

"How's it going, groupies?" I greeted, and Rhonda's perfectly arched eyebrows raised slightly; her arms gently crossed.

"My, my. Somebody's in a significantly better mood today. What ever could have caused that?" her eyes glanced towards Arnold and then shot back to me.

"Just had a...change of heart." I smirked.

"How wonderful!" Eugene sing-songed with a loan clap. "So you're ready to work on our project?"

"Indeedy-do." I replied, copying Rhonda's crossed-arms and leaning back slightly in my desk; my feet just barely touching Arnold's ahead of mine.

"Know what else I've decided?" I continued, Lila smiling my way.

"What ever could that be, Helga?"

"That I am going to put up with you bozos and be on my best behavior so I can help you all get a good grade on this thing."

It was Arnold's turn to talk, and I took a breath to mentally prepare for what ever was about to begin.

 _Here we go..._

"That's great to hear, Helga. Where would you like to start?"

I leaned in to my desk and rested on my forearms, my elbows just hanging off the edge. "Well football-head, I was thinking we make a final decision about what scene we are gonna do."

"And which one do you think we should do? Rhonda's idea?" Eugene perked and I shook my head.

"Nah... I was thinking more... the ever classic balcony scene." I wiggled my eyebrows in Arnold's direction and moved my foot to just barely stroke his under the desk. "How 'bout it, _Romeo_?"

Arnold's eyes widened slightly as our feet touched and I watched as he swallowed a gulp.

"Fine with me."

"Good. So about that texting thing-"

"You aren't HONESTLY suggesting you text out the whole balcony scene, are you?"

"No, PRINCESS, I was just going to say we should do two scenes for one... the lead up at the party, toss in a little texting blah blah blah, and then cut to the balcony scene. Do a two for one deal, that way you yutzes can be in the video too."

"That sounds logical to me." Lila said with a smile, nodding to Eugene who quickly agreed.

"That's a great idea! And think of all the fun costumes we can wear for that scene too!"

Rhonda's interest was suddenly peaked.

"I think _I_ should be in charge of costuming, seeing as I clearly have the best fashion sense out of all of us."

"That's fine, Rhonda. I'm sure you'll do a great job with that."

I narrowed my eyes slightly in Arnold's direction.

"And what do YOU think about all this, Arn _oldo_?"

He shrugged, and I felt his foot underneath the table play with mine momentarily. "Sounds like a fun idea, I guess."

"You GUESS? Please. I'm sure you have loads of ideas over there cooking in that freaky head of yours. Let's hear 'em."

"Okay." He cleared his throat slightly and continued. "What if for the party they are at, it's at a house party instead of a formal one?"

"As if YOU know what a party is like." I rolled my eyes, and Arnold smiled.

"Actually, I've been to a few parties before."

"Middle school parties don't count, Hair Boy." I retorted.

"What makes you think I couldn't go to a high school party?"

I shrugged, my foot rubbing against Arnold's as we talked.

"Because you're ARNOLD. You'd stick out like a sore thumb."

"I think I probably already do that."

"Yeah, you're right. That head of yours sticks out plenty on it's own. So I'm curious... just how do you picture this 'house party?'"

He leaned in slightly to our pod, our eyes on him as he spoke.

"Probably pretty crowded. It could be a Halloween party or something so people were dressed up and didn't know who was who. Romeo and Juliet meet and instead of texting they can-"

"OOH!" Rhonda squealed, "They can facebook stalk each other. Oh THAT'S an idea."

"Right... go on." I said, egging Arnold to continue.

"So then there's a house party fight between him and Tybalt and his dad comes home and the party gets broken up."

"That sounds modern to me," Eugene added and looked to the rest of us. "What do you guys think?"

"I think that's alright I guess. But where do we do the balcony scene then?"

"At Juliet's window or something. That's not too hard to adjust."

"You don't think it needs more... umpf?"

Arnold thought for a moment. "No. Not everything needs umpf."

"Maybe for you it doesn't." I countered and his eyebrow raised.

"I have plenty of umpf in my life, Helga."

"Oh no...not again..." I heard Eugene mumble and Lila reached over to pat his back sympathetically.

"Sure Arn _oldo_ , the football-headed weirdo has lots of umpf in his life, I'M SURE."

"Can we focus on the project, guys?" Eugene nagged and I frowned, my arms crossing again over my chest.

 _This is a piece of cake._

"So football-head and I are Romeo and Juliet, who do you dweebs wanna be?" I asked, looking around our pod of desks.

"I could be Tybalt-"

"Are you sure that's the best idea considering your luck with gravity?" I asked and Eugene wrinkled his nose.

"Maybe not, but who else-"

"Gosh, I guess I could be Tybalt."

"Lila. I'm not fighting you." Arnold said very bluntly and I laughed.

"Why? You afraid little miss perfect will kick your ass?"

"Helga!" Lila's voice was louder than usual and I smirked her direction before returning to look at Arnold.

"I'll just be Tybalt, Helga. It's alright. I'll be okay." Eugene finalized and I sighed, knowing already this was a disaster waiting to happen. "So Rhonda and Lila, who would you guys like to be?"

"Well I for one need to be someone with style and grace-"

"So you can man the camera, Lloyd." I chuckled and she glared my way.

"THIS FACE was MEANT for the camera, Helga. Maybe I should be Juliet instead of you."

"I think Helga will be a great Juliet..." Arnold paused, "Again."

I couldn't stop the blood from rushing to my cheeks and the smile that creeped up on my face.

"Can I get your attention, class?" Mrs. Otten called out from the front of the classroom and our eyes all darted in her direction as silence filled the room. "Thank you. So hopefully by now you all have a concept or two because the next three days will be spent in the computer lab writing up your scripts. Over the weekend, I want you guys to memorize your lines because when Monday comes, we will begin filming!" the bell rang, and everyone quickly grabbed their things to rush out the door for their 5 minutes of socializing before lunch which happened to be next. "See you all tomorrow!" Mrs. Otten called out as the room emptied, but our pod took their time.

"Do you think we'll be ready to start our scripts tomorrow, Eugene?" Lila asked and I casually watched as he shrugged his shoulders with a smile.

"I'm sure we will! With a positive attitude and solid teamwork, I'm sure we'll have one of the best videos in the class!"

I rolled my eyes.

"Sure, Eugene. You just keep telling yourself that." I told him as he and Lila walked out of the room chattering about god knows what kind of positive peppy crap it is they talk about.

Rhonda watched as Arnold and I collected our stuff into our backpacks.

"So when will you two give up the ridiculous charade?" She asked, and Arnold and I exchanged a look.

"What are you talking about, Rhonda?" Arnold questioned, a quizzical look plastered on his face.

"Don't play DUMB, Arnold. You're not very good at it." She turned to face me, "I KNOW your little secret. You can't fool Rhonda Wellington Lloyd. And once this little project is over, I'm sure the whole school will know too."

"Know WHAT, Princess? That you're a nosy gossip-spreading spoiled brat? Because I'm pretty sure everyone already knows that."

She shook her head and I felt my heart begin to race in my chest.

"Keep denying it now, Helga." her eyes glanced to Arnold. "I don't believe for one minute that you two hate each other. It's obvious you two are doing SOMETHING." She wiggled her eyebrows, "Perhaps hiding your secrets under the covers, are we?"

I let out a boisterous laugh and leaned forward to glare at Rhonda.

"Better than the secrets some of us hide in the Janitor's closet in the three hundred wing during period six."

A bright shade of red lit up her face, but her eyes never dropped from mine.

" _I_ may not tattle on your weird little love affair, but it will get out. Mark my words, Pataki." she batted her eyelashes in Arnold's direction. "Sorry you have to be caught in the middle, Arnold. You really are a good guy."

He crossed his arms and shook his head slightly.

"I'll never understand what happened to you Rhonda to make you..." he swallowed and took a breath, his eyes trying to harden as he looked at her, "to make you such a bitch."

My eyes widened.

 _Arnold? Swearing?_

Rhonda must have been as surprised as I was, because her jaw dropped at his words.

"Never thought I'd say this, but you sure got that right, football-head." And with that, I shot a grin to Rhonda, spun around to push my way passed Arnold as rudely as I could manage when all I wanted to do was grab him and plant one right on those beautiful lips of his that so boldly stood up to the Princess herself.

I followed closely behind Arnold as we made our way to the cafeteria, and trailed behind him as he quickly turned to leave the school for our free lunch. Since we were Juniors, we were allowed to ditch for lunch and get decent food elsewhere. Arnold and I made a deal that once a week we would leave together and get food at the diner across from Slausen's that almost nobody went to. It was nice because we didn't have to hold up any sort of reputations, and the food was pretty cheap so that was cool too.

I slid into the booth, it's red upholstery ripped from years of asses sitting on it and a few thick pieces of duck tape covered the hole to try and keep in the yellow foam that was trying to escape.

"So, Arnoldo, what was that cursing back there for? You got a little wild. I was afraid I'd have to reel ya in."

He smirked and reached for the water glass that sat before him and took a large gulp from the glass.

"She didn't need to act like that."

"But you never swear. I totally had her-"

"Maybe it's time I tried to stick up for you for once."

I sighed and dropped my hands to my lap under the table.

"I don't need you to stick up for me, Arnold."

A small smile lit up his face and he reached across the table gesturing to give him my hand. "Doesn't mean I don't still want to."

I placed my hand in his; his thumb stroking mine as I looked down to my remaining hand in my lap. "It's... it's THAT that I wouldn't be able to get over."

"What?"

I looked up to his face, his sweet and beautiful caring face, and shrugged.

"The... you sticking up for me thing. I'm so used... so used to sticking up for myself. If you stood up for me-"

"It's not like I would be doing it all the time, Helga. You aren't one who needs a lot of 'backup.'"

"So why back me up, then? You knew I could take her on. You know I'm not afraid of the bullshit she spews out."

Arnold sighed now, watching me for a moment before our waiter interrupted our conversation.

"Welcome to Desmond's Diner," the bubbly woman started, handing us menus, "Any drinks to start you kids off with?"

I shook my head and handed her the menus back.

"Nah, we just want two cheeseburger baskets, one with bacon and a side of ranch and ketchup."

Arnold's eyes watched me expectantly. I sighed. "Please."

The woman nodded her head and turned around to place our order with the kitchen while we continued to talk.

"Because I don't want you to be hurt. Even though I know you're strong and all... It doesn't mean I don't worry about your well-being."

Arnold continued and I chewed on my lip while I listened.

"I don't have a well-being, Hair Boy."

Arnold smirked.

"Yes you do. Or I wouldn't have ever wised up to you."

"Criminy. You make me sound like I was a regular nut job."

Arnold chuckled, squeezing my hand once and then disappearing under the table as our food arrived.

For 5 bucks on Tuesdays, Desmond's Diner gave you cheeseburger baskets with HUGE helpings of fries and the option of adding a shake or malt for a buck extra. Usually I added the shake, but the run-in with Rhonda had stolen some of my appetite, which Arnold took notice to.

"Rhonda really got to you, huh?" He asked, tossing a fry into his mouth.

I took a big bite of my burger and wiped some excess ketchup from my face with my sleeve. "Nah."

"Helga..."

I set the burger down in the red basket it had come in. "Fine. So she pissed me off. Big whoop." I grabbed three fries, scooped up a big glob of ranch and shoved it in my mouth.

"I know it bothers you that she knows, Helga. We can't keep this a secret forever."

I licked my fingers of the remnants of the burger I had just inhaled and rolled my eyes. "WHY are you SO INSISTANT on telling everyone about our life, football-head?"

"Maybe because I'm not ashamed of you. Because I want people to know?"

"Arnold, Arnold, Arnold. Foolish football-headed Arn _oldo_." The waitress dropped off a check at our table and I picked it up before Arnold snatched it from my hands.

"My turn, remember?" He reminded, pulling out his wallet to toss a twelve bucks on the table. With one last swig of his water, he stood up, offering his hand to help me up.

"I'm fine, Arnold. I'm just... frustrated." I stood up and brushed off some crumbs from my jeans, making my way out the door to walk to Arnold's car. "I can't believe I DID this to myself."

I sat down in his passenger seat while Arnold shoved the key in the ignition and roared the car to life.

"Did this to yourself? What do you mean?"

I reached over to take his hand, our fingers lacing together as he drove us back to school.

"I made myself into this, Arnold. And next to you and Pheebs... nobody even knows that I'm... I'm not that horrible person everyone thinks I am."

He pulled into his parking spot and shifted the car into park, the car idling as we finished our conversation before having to return inside.

"It doesn't have to be that way, Helga. You know that."

I opened the door as he took the keys out of the car and twirled them around his finger while we walked inside. "Unfortunately, it does."

"No it doesnt."

"YES, it does."

"But why?"

I took a deep breath as we stood in the middle of the hallway, the bell only a few seconds from ringing. There was a sense of quiet calm as we stood alone in that hallway; full knowledge that we would be late to our next class.

We didn't care.

"It just does, Arnold." The loud noise of the bell ringing through the halls and piercing our ears. I reached over to touch his cheek softly, then dropping my hand to my side. "I'll see you after school, okay?"

"But Helga-"

"Okay, Arnold?"

He sighed and nodded his head, defeated. "Sure, Helga. After school is fine."

I took a step toward him and planted a soft kiss on his lips and turned around to leave him watching me trudge my way to my History class.

"Oh Arnold," I mumbled to myself as I walked, "if you only knew. If you could only understand why I'm so afraid to let my guard down- to show the world who Helga G. Pataki REALLY is." I stood outside the door to the classroom and thought for a moment about ditching entirely. "But who am I kidding," I continued, turning around to lean against the cold brick wall. "No matter how much he cares; no matter if Arnold were to even LOVE me the way I love and adore him and his weird-shaped head, he would never understand. He would never see that I'm nothing special... I'm not like _Li_ la or Ruth or any of the other girls his heart has ever settled on. I'm..." I sighed, standing up from the wall and deciding to skip class altogether and wander around town until school let out.

When I started my car and pulled out of the parking lot, I found myself chewing at my nails absentmindedly.

Maybe Arnold WAS right.

Maybe Rhonda WAS getting to me.

Maybe hiding our relationship WAS hopeless.

Maybe this group project WAS doomed.

But I knew one thing was certain- I wasn't about to let my pride get the best of me.

I WAS dating Arnold after all, wasn't I?

So as far as I was concerned, I had won.

But as I looked at the tired face looking back at me in the rear view mirror; the face that was so worn from lying to everyone day in and day out, I wondered just how long this winning streak would last before Helga G. Pataki finally lost it.


	5. 101 Pop Up Windows

_**ATTENTION: this chapter has some sexual stuff- only kissing, no touching or lemons or anything, but i figured i would give a warning.**_

 _ **review and let me know what you think!**_

* * *

My phone buzzed in my pocket as I sat on the bench at Gerald field.

-Meet at the nook in 5?

It was Arnold. I sighed and quickly typed a response.

-Don't bother, I'm not there.

I tapped my fingers on the glass of my phone's screen and waited for Arnold to respond.

-What do you mean, you're not there? Did you skip class again?

I frowned.

-What's it to you, Arnoldo?

-It's not like you, that's all. Where are you?

Listing the pros and cons, I debated telling him where I actually was. But Arnold wasn't some dumb kid; it wouldn't take him long to find me anyway. And it wasn't like I was really making a good effort at hiding.

-Gerald Field. Doi.

-I should have guessed. Want company?

This surprised me, Arnold NEVER skipped class.

Yeesh, what was I turning that football-head into? A curse word yielding, school skipping rebel?

-Your choice. But you shouldn't skip class.

-You're one to talk, Helga. I just have my free period next hour anyway.

I clicked the button to shut the screen to black again, but my phone buzzed once more.

-Don't go anywhere, Helga. I don't want to spend two hours looking for you again.

A couple months ago, Arnold and I had gotten into a fight, which wasn't incredibly unusual for us, but Arnold had a knack for fizzling out most of our arguments. But not this one.

A few kids had caught wind to a rumor about Arnold and I kissing in the parking lot after school, and once again, Arnold told me I should give up the charade and just tell people.

I couldn't understand why the kid was so weirdly proud of me. He like... wanted to show me off to everyone which just didn't make any sense. I wasn't some gorgeous blonde bimbo he could tote around. I wasn't anything but me- Helga the bully with the one eyebrow and the unhappy disposition.

Anyway, I had run off from school. Called in sick to work and just... took off. It isn't like my parents gave a shit if I went missing for the rest of the night. But Arnold did.

Kid musta called me over a hundred times before he found me hanging out in the ally behind Slausen's.

" _What are you doing here, Helga?"_

 _I shrugged and flicked a crushed can into the wall ahead of me with a loud CLANG!_

" _Buzz off."_

" _Don't do this again, Helga. It's taken me so long to get to you."_

" _Ever think it isn't worth it?"_

 _He took a few steps to sit next to me and sit with his legs outstretched and crossed at the ankles. His hands folded neatly in his lap, and his eyes focused on the wall ahead of us; graffiti of all different colors staring back at us._

" _I never understood why graffiti was considered vandalism." he said randomly, and I turned to look at him dumbfounded._

" _Huh?"_

" _I mean, look at it." He gestured forward and I looked to the intricate designs some Hillwood thug had carelessly sprayed on the old bricks._

" _What about it, Arnold? It's just some tag of some sort. Big deal."_

" _Somebody spent a lot of time on it." He kept going, and I glanced at him while he talked before returning my gaze to the painted brick wall. "I mean,_ I _certainly couldn't do that. Could you?"_

 _I shrugged, my eyes casting downward to my fingers as they picked at each other._

" _I guess not. What's your point, anyway?"_

" _My POINT," he started, "is that there is a lot more to this 'vandalism' than meets the eye. If you look at it, REALLY look at it, follow the patterns and the colors... it's beautiful. It's art. And why should beautiful art be considered illegal?"_

" _Probably because it's on private property, doi."_

 _He twisted his body to face me._

" _I know we've only been dating four months, Helga. But I see you for more than you see yourself... kinda like this graffiti. You're so complex. There's more to you than you show people and I've just been one of the only lucky ones to see that... to see what's hiding underneath. I guess... I guess I've ALWAYS seen it, but..." his voice trailed off._

 _My eyes searched his briefly, unable to reply to the things he was telling me._

" _What...what are you getting at." I said more than asked and a smile grew on his face._

" _Just because you see yourself as something wrong or broken or whatever... it doesn't mean I do."_

 _I twisted my body to face him completely and sat pretzel-style._

" _So what DO you see me as?"_

 _He studied me for a moment, his eyes tracing every inch of me and I suddenly felt exposed and naked before him, even though I was fully dressed and still the same old Helga I had always been._

" _You're beautiful, Helga."_

"Thanks for not running." Arnold's voice came from across the field as he walked towards me.

"Whatever."

Arnold had become quite accustomed to my 'self defense mechanisms' and mostly just ignored them now.

He knew I'd eventually cave and start talking.

"You wanna talk about it?" He asked gently, his steps slowing as he grew nearer to the bench.

"If I DID do you think I'd have skipped school to come HERE?"

He smiled sweetly and sat down beside me, his hand resting softly on my thigh.

"You're going to tell me anyway."

"So let me be stubborn for a while before I do."

The wind rustled through the trees and made the grass dance all around Gerald field; the smell of fall tickling my nostrils.

"Do you love me, Arnold?" The words came out suddenly and I found myself almost regretting the decision to let them out of my mouth.

I closed my eyes, not wanting to see the look he was surely giving me.

"Do I love you?" He repeated, his voice soft; thoughtful.

"Yeah. Do you love me?"

I kept my eyes shut tightly; the wind making the hair all over my body stand on it's end.

"Why do you ask?"

"You can't answer my question with another question, Arnold. It doesn't work like that."

"Since when?"

I sighed and gave up, opening my eyes and turning my head to look at him.

"Do you?"

His green eyes focused on mine for a long, intense moment. I could almost see memories flashing in his brain as he though through every aspect of my question.

I broke my look from him, realizing I had blown everything with only a few words.

But then he answered.

"Yes."

I hadn't expected that one.

My eyes darted to his.

"No you don't. You're just saying that." I was shaking, but I tried with all my might to control my wild nerves.

"No I'm not."

"Then say it."

"I love you." He didn't hesitate this time, but I still couldn't believe him.

"No you don't."

"Helga." He was firmly holding my hands in his now; the circulation starting to struggle at how tight his grip was. "I love you."

I swallowed the dry air and nodded my head slowly.

"Are you going to say something?" He asked and I stared at him before responding.

"You know how I feel, Arnold."

"And yet you've never said it again. Not since..." I knew when the last time was I told him I loved him.

Ages ago, it felt now.

"But you know."

"And you didn't? You never knew? In everything I did, everything I've said... you still needed to hear it?"

My voice was soft now. "I've dreamed of you saying those words to me ever since I can remember. I clung to it. And now-"

"It's true. So what do you have to say, Helga?"

I searched his eyes as they remained locked on me; hanging on my every word.

Why was it after all this time and all those feelings... the words couldn't come out?

"I... I l-lo..." my voice wavered, fear settling into my bones. "I love you, Arnold. I've always loved you."

He smiled. "I know that now." he brushed away an invisible tear from my cheek. "So are you going to talk to me now?" He asked after a moment; his hands still holding onto mine.

"I guess." he waited and I forced all the air out of my lungs before inhaling again and letting out my thoughts. "So maybe I've been kinda-sorta thinking about the whole telling people thing."

Arnold smiled.

"Really?"

"Only kinda-sorta."

"Right. And?"

"And I don't want to."

His smiled melted to a frown.

"Really."

"Hear me out, okay?" His eyebrows raised for a moment before he relaxed and I tried to plead my case. "If you let us keep this whole thing a secret for a while longer... I'll..." I sighed, "I'll let you take me to prom."

"Really?"

"Is that the only word you know? Yes, really."

"Any other requests?" He teased and I thought considerably about what else I really wanted.

"Nah, I guess not."

"Nothing?"

I nodded my head. "Nothing at all. You lucked out this time, hair boy."

Arnold watched me for a moment. Looking in his eyes I saw the little kid who noticed me all those years back. The same kid who later hated me, kinda liked me, liked me liked me and now loved me. I bit my lip for a moment as we observed each other in a way we had never given each other a chance to try before.

His hand snaked up from my hand to rest on my neck; his touch making my nerves go wild again and I suddenly felt incredibly nervous.

It only took moments before our lips found each other's. I pulled him into me and savored every moment that our lips touched and moved with one another's. His breath was cool and labored, his body pushing into mine as we tangled into one another on the wooden bench at Gerald Field.

His lips grew anxious and soon he was leaning into me and I was leaning back; now laying completely on the bench as he crouched over me with his lips crushing mine.

Something was different. He didn't act like this.

What was he up to?

"A-A-Arnold..." I stuttered out as I turned my head so his lips could tiptoe down my neck and to the edge of my shirt collar.

"Yes?" his voice was raspy, and it took all my willpower to reach out and grab his chin to force him to look at me.

"What are you doing?" I was breathing heavily and Arnold's eyes fluttered open to look at me.

"Do... Do you want me to-to stop?" he sounded hurt and I couldn't help but shake my head because I really, really didn't want him to.

He smiled and began to kiss me again, but I stopped him once more.

"You don't want this." I whispered, my fingertips lightly touching under his eyes. "Not here."

He pushed himself up and back to a seated position, and I leaned upwards to look at him as I tried to regulate my now crazed breathing.

"Sorry." he mumbled and I smirked.

"Like you have anything to apologize for. It wasn't like I WANTED to stop you."

"So why did you?" he turned to look at me, his cheeks a brighter red than I had ever seen before.

"Because I know you. And you love me, Arnold, but you don't love me like I love you. Not yet."

"But Helga-"

"Oh you WILL. No doubt in my mind about THAT. But not yet. And that's okay." I shrugged. "I haven't given up on you yet. I can wait."

The familiar tune of Arnold's alarm went off and he pulled out his phone to silence it. "I should probably head back. AP government and all..."

"I know."

He stood up and started to make his way back from where he came from, but he stopped and turned around for a moment. "Are you really going to let me take you to prom? Like in a dress and everything?"

I smirked and sat all the way up to rest my back against the wall and cross my arms. "The whole works, football-head. But you have to get me to say yes first."

"But you said-"

"Eh, eh, eh. Not so fast, Hair Boy. Just because I said I would let you TAKE me, doesn't mean you don't still have to ask me."

"That's the way you wanna tell the class, then?"

I thought for a moment.

All these years it had always been me pining after Arnold, and the idea of him pining after me, even just for something as stupid and meaningless as PROM, gave me a warm feeling on my insides, so I nodded my head.

"Yup. But you better woo me."

Arnold nodded his head thoughtfully and smiled. "Alright. I can do that."

"You really think you can, huh bucko?"

He kept walking towards his car.

"Yes I do, Helga."

"You sure it'll work?"

"Yes I am, Helga."

"Do you love me?"

he stopped and turned around to shoot me one last smile before he left me alone to finish skipping class for the day. "Yes, I do, Helga."

"Well... I love you too, football-head."

When he was finally out of earshot, I collapsed to lay back on the bench again, at last able to let out the swoon I had been holding in nearly all day.

 _Oh..._

* * *

The next two days were... oddly uneventful.

Even English class.

Each day our group of five rushed to the computer lab so we could each get our own computer- there wasn't enough for every person in the class, and our bunch wasn't about to go sharing computers between us.

So every day we arrived so early we got the first row of computers and sat silent as we each did our own thing. Eugene wrote the script, I worked on our accompanying paper, Rhonda scrolled through costume ideas, Lila compiled a list of props and scene details, and Arnold familiarized himself with the editing software he would be using to splice together our video when it was done.

Wednesday and Thursday blurred together so completely that I had lost track of the last time I had even talked to Arnold for any length of time in person. Most of our conversing happened through the computers DURING English class.

Yes, the world of messenger had done us well.

Mostly, I complained to him about our group.

 _PINKBOW87: I can't believe the luck. Of ALL THE PEOPLE in the DAMN CLASS it hadto be THEM in our group. _

_BLUEHAT5: It isn't that bad, Helga. Most of the class will be spent on the computers. _

_PINKBOW87: And the ACTING? What about THAT? Or the deciding on things as a group thing? Criminy. _

_BLUEHAT5: Only a fraction of the time. I still don't see the point of hiding all this until prom. Prom isn't even that far away anymore. _

_I glanced around the room, before returning to the screen to type my response._

 _PINKBOW87: It's in MAY, Arnoldo. That's months away. _

_BLUEHAT5: Yes, but people start asking soon. _

_I sighed, glancing over to Arnold who looked very intent on doing something, but I knew all he was doing was waiting for my response._

 _PINKBOW87: Who asks that far ahead of time, Arnold? Who? _

_I waited for the messenger box to pulse it's light with his answer._

 _BLUEHAT5: Gentlemen. _

_One word._

 _PINKBOW87: More like weird football-heads. _

_The bell rang and I quickly closed all the windows and saved my work before logging off and pulling my backpack off the back of my chair. But of course, I had forgotten to zip it back up after hunting for my earbuds and all of my messy scraps of notes and poems scattered onto the floor among my textbooks and pens._

 _Naturally, it was Arnold who rushed to come and help me with the mess I'd made._

 _I could feel eyes on us, one pair in particular, and it wasn't Rhonda's._

 _Lila Sawyers eyes were hot on us as we picked up the papers and straightened them out to fit back into their appropriate folders._

 _I glanced at Arnold, and then back to Lila before sighing and realizing it was prime time to prove how NOT together Arnold and I were supposed to be._

" _I don't need your HELP, Hair Boy." I scowled, though inside, I felt tired and uncaring._

" _Helga, I just-"_

" _Lay off, Arnold. Seriously." I snatched the papers from his hands and shoved them into my backpack and hurriedly zipped it up._

" _Helga." His voice was harder than usual. He stood up and offered his hand out; his eyebrow raised as he waited for my next move._

 _My eyes shifted to see if Lila was still watching, but it seemed as though Arnold and I were alone in the room._

 _I had overreacted._

 _As if_ Li _la actually cared about my life or what I was doing with it._

" _S-sorry." I said, reaching out to take his hand and allow him to pull me up._

 _He handed me my backpack and smiled, leaning in to kiss me on my cheek. "It's fine, Helga." he said quietly and together we exited the lab to run off for our next class._

Friday rolled around and instead of hurrying to the tech lab for English, I slowly took my time getting there. I figured Eugene would be the one to get there earliest and save us spots like the last two days. But when I saw Arnold, Lila and Rhonda but NO Eugene, I realized all of us must have shared that same thought too.

We entered the tiny computer lab last, you see. And we were forced to share the last two computers in the tiny room.

Rhonda, Lila, Myself and Arnold.

What a group we were without the glue of Eugene's optimism keeping our project afloat.

"So who has Eugene's flash drive? Anyone?" I looked between my other 3 partners who stared back at me with blank faces. "Great. How are we supposed to finish our damn script?"

I crossed my arms over my chest and huffed.

"Well, football-head, you're the closest thing to Eugene we're gonna get today. Any ideas?"

Arnold shifted his weight between his feet before taking a deep breath and letting it out. "Eugene mentioned something about working on the script at home, he said he's almost done... So I guess just keep working on the rest of our individual stuff?"

I rolled my eyes. "That's a pretty dumb suggestion. Even PRINCESS has better ideas than that."

"So what do YOU suggest, Helga?"

"Well FIRST off, let's take a gander around the room and do some math. 4 people and only 2 computers means we have to partner off. Who is going to work with who?"

Rhonda grinned.

"I'll go with Arnold. Seeing as you two hate each other and all."

My eyes widened slightly.

"Really?" Arnold questioned, his look shifting between Rhonda and I. "Al-alright, Rhonda. Helga, that means you'll share computers with-"

"Miss Goody-Two-Shoes over here. Yeah. I got it, Arnoldo."

I stomped my way to the nearest computer and pulled a rolling chair up to the desk the monitor was on.

 _Great._

"Let's get a move on, Lila. We have work to do."

With a dopey smile, she scooted a nearby chair that was leftover from a torn-apart desk beside me and daintily sat down on it.

"What do you have left to do, Helga?" She asked cheerfully, and I frowned at the screen as it woke up after I tapped the mouse on the mousepad.

"Not much. I worked on it at home some." I tried to keep myself at bay from ripping her apart too much; our partnership seemed to worry Arnold as I kept catching him watch me from across the room where he sat by Rhonda.

 _Li_ la noticed too.

"Arnold sure does watch you just ever so much."

I sighed.

"So?"

"Well I think maybe he likes you, Helga."

I scoffed and double clicked on the 'My Documents' icon once the computer finished logging me in.

"Right. And you think this because he looks at me? Sheesh."

"He looks at you differently though. Just oh so differently."

" _Oh so differently,"_ I intoned her while I squinted at the screen to re-read the sentence I had last finished typing yesterday. "What do you know, about it anyway."

Lila leaned in a bit to me.

"You know, Helga," she started, but I kept my attention focused on the paper I was trying to write, "I know we haven't been just the best of friends and all, but I like to think I am a trust worthy person and-"

"Look, Lila. Spare me the speech and get on with it."

"I just want you to know that... well..." her voice softened and she leaned in closer still- I could smell the sweet perfume she had put on this morning and it made my head begin to ache. "I've never told your secret, Helga."

I licked my lips, blinked a few times, leaned back from the computer screen and set my hands on my lap.

"What secret." I stated through clenched teeth, and I could tell she was getting nervous now.

"About... you know who."

"What? Hair Boy?"

"If you mean... Arnold... than yes."

I sighed and twisted my chair to look at Lila, my arm gently resting on the back of the chair as I looked at her.

"Lila. Listen to what I'm about to tell you, okay?" she nodded her head and her hair, a now short auburn bob, did just that and bobbed with her head. "Whatever weird notion all you guys have about me and football-head over there, is completely off. And I'd APPRECIATE it if you all would just shut up and leave it and me alone."

"Well gosh, I just-"

"I'm not kidding."

"-wanted to tell you I-"

"Lila. STOP."

"-am oh too sure I wouldn't-"

"What are you doing? I said STOP."

"-tell anyone about you two."

I stared at her incredulously.

 _Lila wants me to what... confess it all to her? Yeah right!_

I was laughing in my head, but my outward composure remained unphased.

"What are you trying to do, huh?"

a smile warmed her face and she took on that doe-eyed innocent thing she had always had going for her.

"I mean... you... how do you know he doesn't still like YOU, huh?" I tried to throw her off course, but she shook her head.

"As much as I would like for that to be true and I would be very flattered to have another chance at a possible relationship with Arnold," she paused as if trying to find the right words, "I am just oh so sure Arnold doesn't have feelings like that for me anymore."

"Right. You got the hots for him now, don't ya?" I turned my chair back to face the computer screen and tapped my fingertips on the keyboard trying to think of something to write.

But Miss Perfect kept distracting me.

"I'm ever so sure it doesn't matter anymore." her voice wasn't laced with the sickening sweetness that usually comes with her words, and I hesitated for a moment to let her keep talking. "Arnold is a wonderful guy. Just oh so wonderful. But to be perfectly honest, Arnold and I never would have worked out."

"But you just said you wouldn't mind a second chance with him? Make up your mind." I snapped.

"Yes, I did say that, but my thoughts remain the same. I'm just certain Arnold and I still wouldn't work out, even now."

"You really think that?" I was intrigued.

"Of course."

"But... why? I mean.. if you kinda like him now or whatever."

"Well," she started, thoughtfully, "I guess if I were to be really honest with myself and my feelings and all, I would say that we're too alike. But we're... well we are oh so very different as well."

"I don't get it." I deadpanned, but she smiled and continued.

"I think you do, Helga." She stated finally, but at my lack of reaction, she added, "We may be optimistic and kinder than some of our other classmates, but when it comes right down to it, we don't have many- if any- similar interests." she shrugged matter-of-factly and I watched her in almost awe.

"In fact," she was STILL going, "I always thought the two of you would make just a wonderful couple."

"You... you did?"

Her head nodded again while I frowned. "After you told me about-" she took note of my facial expression before continuing, "-the Romeo and Juliet play in fourth grade, I started to watch how you acted around Arnold." She chuckled quietly to herself, like a little fairy elf or something, "I was oh so sure that what you had told me was true. That you loved him, and all." she winked my way and I continued to frown at her.

 _At least she was being quiet,_ I thought.

"But I don't anymore." I held my ground, but unfortunately, it was time I fessed up and admitted that Lila wasn't the dumb country girl I always thought her to be. She knew better.

"I'm not so sure I believe that, but I understand if you don't want to tell anybody. Your secret will still be safe with me, Helga." She smiled.

"But why do this? Why especially if you just said that you wouldn't mind a second chance with him?"

Lila grinned and reached out to touch my shoulder softly.

"Because we're friends, and I am just ever so certain I could never do such a very mean thing to a friend."

I was watching her intently.

 _Lila thought of us as... friends?_

"Friends." I scoffed quietly, but not completely repulsed and I frowned at that reaction. I knew what was going through my mind.

 _Helga. You are NOT thinking about telling her._

 _This is_ Li _la we're talking about. LILA! You can't go and blab your secrets to her!_

But then again... _She didn't tell... I mean, she still hasn't but still._

 _I can't trust Lila Sawyer._

"And... and what if I DID tell you we might... Arnold and I..." my voice trailed off in lack of direction, but Lila knew where I had been going.

"I'm ever so sure I wouldn't tell. It could be... our little secret."

 _Yuck._

"Well don't get your hopes up _pal,_ because you're way off track. There's nothing to tell."

"Well alright, Helga."

"Like nothing."

"I understand."

"Not a single tiny little thing is happening between me and football-head."

"Of course, Helga."

I glanced over to Rhonda who was trying very unsuccessfully to hang on Arnold's shoulder, but he kept shaking her off.

I smiled.

And right as I smiled, Rhonda got up from her chair to go to the bathroom I assumed. And right as she left the room, a pop up did just that and popped up right on my screen.

Just popped right on up.

Arnold's very obvious username.

BLUEHAT5:You know I would have partnered with you, right?

I quickly minimized the screen, but Lila had seen.

I wasn't DUMB.

"What was that?" She asked, but I wasn't about to give in that easily.

"Huh? That? Oh, uh... nothing. Just a uh... just a pop up." I laughed nervously.

If Arnold would have seen how bad I was sweating due to his lack of thinking before messaging, maybe he would have stopped.

Maybe I could have finished class with some dignity.

Maybe Lila Sawyer wouldn't have seen and I wouldn't have had to leave the lab with the knowledge that ONCE AGAIN, Lila knew something that could ruin me.

BLUEHAT5: She keeps flirting with me.

I tried to minimize the screen again, but football-head sent another one too fast.

BLUEHAT5: She's trying to get on your nerves.

I clicked at my screen desperately but it was too late.

I was found out.

"I'm ever so sure I'm not trying to meddle or anything, but is that Arnold's username?" She asked and a mad rage zoomed through my veins and up to my face.

Veins must have been popping.

Popping as much as the damn pop up window Arnold's messages kept giving me.

BLUEHAT5: I know you'll probably say to not worry about it, but I just don't want you thinking our relationship is in trouble. Rhonda hasn't even said anything yet.

I hit the circular power button on the monitor to make the screen go black in a desperate attempt to save myself from further embarrassment.

Together, Lila and I looked at the blank screen. My eyes must have been wide as saucers. I watched Lila's reflection in the computer screen to see there was a small smile hinting at her face.

"Helga..."

"I don't want to talk about it."

Lila, for once, shut her mouth. And together, we continued to stare at our reflections in the computer screen while I gathered my thoughts.

Rhonda waltzed back into the room, shot me a look, and then walked to her spot beside Arnold and tried to scoot closer to him.

He turned around to see what I was up to, but when he caught look of my 'deer-in-the-headlights' expression, the color drained from his face.

 _That's right, football-head. You weren't THINKING, were you?_ I thought loudly in my head as if I could send him the message telepathically.

I let out a deep sigh, realizing Lila was waiting for some kind of explanation. Slowly, I reached out to turn on the monitor again and waited for the screen's image to light up.

Staring ahead of us, was that damn pop up blinking back at me; Arnold's username burned there in front of our eyes.

I closed it and turned to look at Lila very seriously.

"Lila. I-I... I don't know why he would message me those things-"

But she cut me off with a smile and a nod.

"I always kind of knew something was going on."

"Nothing's going on." She looked at me for a prolonged second and I finally, very unwillingly, gave up. I quick searched around me to make sure nobody was listening and was reminded very quickly that the world did NOT revolve around me and nobody had their eyes on us as we talked.

Everyone was worried about their own lives, their own problems, and their own projects.

I met Lila's expectant eyes and nodded my head minimally.

"You win, okay?" my voice was weak.

"I won't tell anyone, Helga."

"You better HOPE you won't."

"I'm sure I won't."

The bell let out it's monotone ring, and I saved the paper I did relatively no work on, and logged off the computer.

"I can't BELIEVE this is happening..." I grumbled to myself while Lila and I packed away our things to leave for our next classes.

"You okay?" Arnold's voice asked and I looked up at him from where I was crouched beside my backpack.

"I'm fine, hair boy."

I could sense Lila's dumb smile while she watched us and I shot her a look.

"Don't you have something better to do, _Li_ la?" I snapped and she nodded her head, her eyes going between the both of us.

"Lila," Arnold said suddenly; her name not something I particularly liked hearing from his lips, "Please don't-"

She held a hand up to stop him. "Don't worry about me, Arnold. As I just told Helga..." she paused for a moment, smiled, winked and then continued, "All of my work is done."

He furrowed his brow quizzically, but I knew what she was doing.

Rhonda walked right passed us and halted just behind Arnold; her eyes watching skeptically as we kept talking.

"Your work?" He asked.

"For the project. I'm all caught up." She turned around, gave Rhonda a smile, and left the room.

Rhonda, myself and Arnold trailed after her.

"What just happened?" Arnold asked once we were out of earshot from anyone who would know the origin of our conversation.

"Lila Sawyer happened." I stopped midstride and turned to glare at him. "WHAT were you thinking?" I said as loudly as I could without arising suspicion.

"I wasn't. I'm sorry, Helga."

"You KNEW she was with me, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"So WHY?"

Arnold shrugged; his eyes cast downward on his feet.

"It was a mistake, Helga."

"A DUMB mistake." I groaned before remembering just who I was talking to. I took a deep breath, counted to three, and then let it out. "I'm sorry too, Arnold. I shouldn't have snapped at you."

"It's fine, Helga."

"Will you stop saying that, already? It ISN'T fine."

Arnold reached up to scratch his head before finally connecting his eyes with mine. "So what now?"

I shook my head and diverted my eyes from his.

"I don't know, Arnold. Nothing I guess." I gestured in a random direction, "Lila probably won't tell, but it doesn't mean I trust her anymore than I trust Rhonda."

"I doubt Lila will tell anyone. She didn't even admit it to me that she knew. Are you sure she does?"

I laughed loudly and crossed my arms. "OH yeah. She knows."

"You...you confirmed it?"

My thoughts went back to how it all happened and I smacked my lips together. "Yeah. I guess I did."

"Really."

I rolled my eyes. "Not this again. YES. Really."

The warning bell for class went off signaling we only had five more minutes before Lunch officially began. Up ahead, Gerald approached us with eyes focused on dancing between Arnold and I.

"What's goin' on you two?" When nobody answered, Gerald nudged Arnold's shoulder and nodded his head in the way of the cafeteria. "It's taco bar, today. Let's get our spots before they run out of meat again."

Arnold bit his lip for a moment and nodded his head, soon turning around to follow Gerald.

But while he turned around, his head remained turned to keep his eyes locked on me.

He was worried about me.

And as sweet as that was and as much as I wanted to swoon at the thought that Arnold himself was worried about ME, Helga G. Pataki, there were SO MANY more things I needed to be thinking about.

I made a mental checklist in my head of all the people who KNEW, without a doubt KNEW about Arnold and me:

 _Phoebe._

 _Gerald._

And with a sigh, I added the final name- _Lila._

"At least it's the weekend." I told myself as I blindly walked to the cafeteria for Friday's 'TGIF Taco Bar'. "Gives me two days to figure out what the hell we're going to do..." I kept muttering as I neared the line of people ready to get their taco on.

 _Pfft,_ I thought as I entered the long line that was now out of the cafeteria and into the hallway, _TGIF indeed..._

* * *

 ** _So I'm not SUPER happy with this chapter only because there is SO MUCH info that needed to happen, and i just felt like it got long, but whatever._**

 ** _Let me know what YOU guys think!_**

 ** _ps- i read somewhere that people don't like Rhonda being so horrible and mean. I have a few comments revolving my story and that._**

 ** _a- she isn't going to be this horrible the whole time, scouts honor._**

 ** _b- every story needs a bad guy_**

 ** _c- this story thrives on her being how she is and i promise i put a lot of thought into how characters would act depending on which direction their lives went after Hey Arnold! ended._**

 ** _SO_**

 ** _review and see you next chapter!_**

 ** _xoxo_**

 ** _Polkahotness_**


	6. Sexy, But With Class

_**:::::IMPORTANT:::::**_

 ** _So, as I wrote this chapter, things developed and this story has now upped it's rating from T to M. The M rating is due to some sexual content stuff in this particular chapter. I don't really know what constitutes as a lemon, but this is pretty close, but not actual sex sex so there's that._**

 ** _The other SUPER important thing, is that in light of this new sexual content, chapter 3 'Faking It' has been revised and updated, so I suggest you go check that out if you are following this story and desire to do so._**

 _ **Otherwise, Enjoy, and as always, REVIEW!**_

 _ **xoxo**_

 _ **Polkahotness**_

* * *

Despite my efforts, the weekend passed without a single thought to what I was going to do about Lila knowing and Rhonda being relentless in her suspicions.

In fact, I had basically come to terms with the fact that the cat was basically out of the bag and who was I to stop what was inevitable?

I was Helga G. Pataki, that's who.

And Patakis don't give up.

Well, unless you're Bob or Miriam or even Olga kinda sold out too so... Maybe it was just a me thing.

Helga G. Pataki doesn't give up.

And besides, even if I had decided to really sit down and think about what it was I was going to do, I hadn't had any time.

I had spent the whole weekend with Arnold.

I walked into English class with stride when Monday rolled around.

Arnold looked at me in quizzically as I took a seat at our pod.

"Helga... you okay?" He seemed concerned but I shrugged it off.

"Just feelin' like a brand new woman. I had a great weekend. How about you, Hair Boy? How was YOUR weekend?" I smiled at him as he blushed bright red.

I knew how his weekend had been.

"I uh..." he bit the inside of his lower lip in thought. "My weekend was actually great, thanks for asking."

"You seem a little down... low on energy this morning or somethin'?"

Rhonda was the next to sit down at the pod, and her ears were immediately tuned in on what we had been discussing. "What are we talking about, Love Birds?"

Ignoring her comment, Arnold kept his eyes on me and answered, "Oh just our weekends."

"Yeah, Arnold over here looks kinda tired."

"I just had a..." he swallowed hard, "busy weekend is all."

"Ah. Must be glad it's over then." She seemed disinterested now, reaching down to dig through her overly-big purse she insisted on carrying around instead of a backpack.

"No, I actually wish it hadn't gone by so fast." He answered immediately and I raised a brow in his direction.

"Yeah. It kinda just, came and went, huh?"

Arnold looked at me, his body and expression frozen. After a moment of silence, Rhonda glanced up to look at us.

Thankfully, Lila and Eugene walked in together at that moment and took their seats at the same time with smiles on their perky faces.

"Hi guys!" Eugene sing-songed, but I kept my attention on Arnold ahead of me. "Sorry I missed Friday, but I finished our script!" He held it up above his head in triumph, the bell sounding as if in celebration of his accomplishment. Eugene tossed a packet of words to each of us, but I didn't look down.

I stayed focused on the blonde football-head sitting before me.

It made him uncomfortable.

I grinned.

"Good morning, good morning!" Mrs. Otten greeted as she stepped to stand in front of the tired eyes ahead of her. "Today we start FILMING!" she beamed and clapped a few times as if to wake us all up. "Okay, okay. I know it's a Monday, but you have ALL PERIOD to work on these so you need to be focused and awake! Remember- projects need to be turned in on FRIDAY. And presentations are when?"

The class grumbled our answer. "Next Tuesday..."

"Right. Next Tuesday, since you have Monday off for teacher workshop. So go ahead! Head on down to the tech lab and we'll assign out our cameras and get started!"

The sound of resumed conversations flooded the room as we all grabbed our things and began to leave the room.

Our group somewhat stayed together; Eugene and Lila talking quietly to each other while Rhonda strutted ahead of the class and Arnold and I poked behind to quietly talk to each other.

"I work tonight." I started as we followed the crowd of students down the Hallway.

"Oh." His voice was quiet and laced with disappointment.

"Only till six though." I added, watching him as he focused ahead on everyone else. "Are you okay?" I asked, my tone genuine.

"Yeah, Helga. I'm fine."

"You're acting all weird."

He shrugged and offered a small smile, "I'm really okay. Just tired."

"Well jeez, how late were you up last night? I left your place at like five."

"I just sat up and did some thinking is all."

"Some thinking."

"More like extra work on the assignment." I rolled my eyes and he frowned, "What? I just wanted to make sure our project would be good seeing as we didn't get a lot of work done last Friday."

"And WHO'S fault was that?" He sighed and I chewed on my lip for a moment our class got plugged up by the entrance to the lab.

"Helga..."

"Well why didn't you tell me you were working on that thing? I could have stayed and worked too-"

"I only have one computer."

"So? I could have occupied myself. All I did was sit at home and watch WWE and infomercials all night. You never even texted me."

He was quiet and I found myself suddenly re-thinking through our weekend.

"Did I..." I paused, surveying my surroundings before continuing, "Did I do something wrong?" I near whispered, and his head snapped to look at me and shake his head.

"No, no, no. It isn't about that, Helga. I..." he smiled and bumped into my shoulder lightly as we stood in the crowd of our classmates waiting to be assigned cameras. I felt his fingers just barely brush against mine. "I had a great weekend. Don't worry. I'm really just tired."

I nodded my head, but I still couldn't shake the feeling of something just being... off.

Maybe I was being paranoid.

"Sheesh. What TOOK you guys so long." Rhonda commented as we found the rest of our group and huddled around Eugene who was holding our camera.

"We have number 1! How cool is THAT, you guys!" Eugene exclaimed, and Rhonda quickly reached out to snatch the camera from him.

"No offense." She said with a shrug and I smirked.

Probably a good idea not to let the kid who just gave himself a concussion last Friday from tripping on a backpack strap and ramming his head into a locker.

"No, you're probably right, Rhonda." He said with a sigh before focusing his attention back on all of us and smiled guiltily. "Sorry again about Friday, you guys. But don't worry, I'm okay! There is no way I would abandon you all to finish this project."

"We know, Eugene. We're just ever so glad you're alright."

"So where are we doing this thing?" Rhonda asked impatiently and Lila dug out her list of scene changes.

"I thought we could start with the party scene."

"And just WHERE are we supposed to hold a house party?"

"I talked with Mrs. Otten and she said we have 'free period' to film where ever we want. Some of the other students are leaving too." Lila said with a smile.

"Yeah, and lunch is right after so we could stay later and keep working if you guys want. We could go to the boarding house and order pizza for lunch."

"You SERIOUSLY think the boarding house roof is a good spot to fake a house party?" I asked.

He shrugged and looked between all of us. "Why not?"

" _I_ think it's a great idea, Arnold." Rhonda commented while plastering on a cheesy smile.

"So we will leave and head for Arnold's then?" Eugene confirmed, adding "Does anybody want to carpool? We could all probably fit in one car."

I frowned. "One car? With you weirdos? No thanks. I'll ride by myself."

"Are you sure, Helga?" Arnold asked and I crossed my arms while nodding my head.

"I'm pretty damn sure, actually. I'll just meet you guys there."

* * *

We gathered in Arnold's room, our equipment and backpacks scattered on the floor around us.

I took a seat on his couch like I had done so many other times and pulled my feet up to sit cross-legged.

How many times I had been in this very room. How familiar I was with everything around us, and nobody even knew.

I smirked.

"So how we wanna do this?" I asked while glancing between my other three groupies.

Eugene held his script, bound and all, tightly in his arms and smiled.

"Rhonda and Lila can go up to the roof and get the set ready I suppose. You guys need to change though. Do you have your costumes?" he asked and I sighed, reaching down to tap lightly on the fancy pink bag Rhonda had given me before we left the school.

"Yep. Princess hooked us up before we left. We'll be ready in like fifteen."

"I have to set up the equipment too," Arnold added, looking around at all the black bags around us with lighting gear and tripods. "I'll probably need help though." His eyes drifted over to me and I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah fine, I'll help I guess. Seeing as EUGENE over here would probably just break everything."

Ignoring my comment, he smiled and gave us a thumbs up. "See you up there, then!" He made his way up the ladder and outside onto the roof to where Lila and Rhonda were already bickering about how to hang the lights. With a muffled slam, the window closed to leave the two of us virtually alone in his room.

Just like we had been this weekend.

I looked over to Arnold who stood by his bookshelf next to his bed and then set my hands on my hips.

"So Arn _oldo_ ," I started, a grin settling on my face as I spoke bluntly, "Looks like I gotta take my clothes off."

His eyes widened. "Uh..." he tried, but I kinda had him at a loss for words.

"Ya know. Costumes and all." I shrugged and reached down for the bag of clothes Rhonda had given me.

Inside of the bag was a dress, a belt, some incredibly too-high-high-heels, bracelets and a weird looking choker necklace; there were also some jeans, brown loafer-y shoes with tiny decorative holes on the toes, a button up dress shirt and a vest?

I stopped to think just what Rhonda had been going for, but decided it probably didn't matter.

"Your clothes are in here too. So I guess you gotta strip down too." I said casually while tossing him his items of clothing one by one.

"You want to change somewhere else or something?" He finally said and I chuckled.

"Now, what would be the sense in that? We're both grown, mature young-adults who ooze responsibility and good decision-making. I think we can handle a little stripping, don't you?"

Arnold set his stuff down on his bed and watched me for a moment as I lay out the outfit I had to wear for the next hour or so.

"You're up to something." He stated and I laughed while unzipping my jeans and wiggling them down and off of my body, then kicking them off to the side.

"Nope." I reached down to pull my socks off of my feet and toss those onto my jeans that were now close by Arnold.

He looked down at my pile of clothes and decided he should probably start changing too. Slowly, he started to take off his faded gray t-shirt and set it neatly over his bed.

I smiled as his eyes drifted towards me before shooting away and back to focus on changing his own clothes.

When I was down to my underwear and bra, I slowly walked over to him; he'd turned around now and was only in his boxers. Almost tip-toeing, I took tiny steps to reach him and wrap my arms around his almost-bare body.

"Helga!" He nearly jumped at my sudden presence, my body pressed tightly against his. "What are you doing?" he twisted around in my grip to face me directly; his expression that of shock and horror at my lack of clothes.

"Just wanted a hug." I pushed him down to sit on the bed and soon straddled his lap.

"H-Helga... I...They..." He looked up to the window above us and I smiled.

"Suddenly worried they'll see, huh?" I asked, grinding my hips on his slowly.

"They really could though, Helga. Like really, really could." he was panicked now and I leaned in to gently kiss his neck a few times.

"Scared?" I murmured against his skin; his head tilting back slightly and I imagined his eyes were closed softly now as his breathing was starting to quicken.

"What...what are you up to?" He asked quietly and I smiled, pulling back to look at him and see that I was right and his eyes were closed.

"Open your eyes." I said, and he did so immediately.

"Yes?"

I grabbed his hands and set them on my hips before I sat up on my knees still straddling him, and began to slowly sway my hips over his; taunting him.

"L-lap dance, huh?"

I nodded my head and lifted my hands up the sides of my body slowly until they were up and over my head. Twirling my wrists as I did so, I brought my arms down to rest on Arnold's shoulders. I dipped my hips and stuck my ass out, my lips kissing down his bare chest as I did so.

"Oh...oh god, Helga..." he was breathing rapidly, his eyes completely locked on me while I danced before him.

I slowly drug my hips inward towards him and then rested on him completely; our hips now only barred from the others by our underwear. I licked my lips as sensually as I could manage and continued to sway my body around as I sat on him, our hips now grinding together as I danced.

His hands drifted from my hips to rub slowly up my back; pushing me closer to him. Just barely his lips kissed against my collar bone and they softly continued to drift lower to just above where the edge of my bra began to cover my boobs.

My breathing was starting to quicken as we moved with each other and I was beginning to crave more than I knew I could deliver at this particular moment with our classmates just up above us on the roof. I could feel him pressing against me as our hips grinded together and I knew that the two of us were mixing up a cocktail that would eventually lead us to a point of no return.

"Helga, we... we-" He was paralyzed under me and I shook my head slowly while I stopped dancing and pulled back to look at him.

"We won't. I'm only teasing." I cocked an eyebrow at him. "You don't really think I'd just-"

"Well you did on S-Sunday."

I smirked and leaned in to press my lips against his before pulling back and then shrugging. "You saying you didn't like it?" I faked a pout, but he was already shaking his head.

"I didn't say that."

"Better than doing it yourself, no?" I asked and tilted my head to the side as I looked at him.

"Helga, I uh-"

"Oh don't even." I sat straight up and crossed my arms, purposefully pushing my boobs together as best as I could. "You're a teenager with raging hormones for your ultra sexy secret girlfriend. You can't tell me you've never jerked yourself off."

His cheeks burned bright red and I smiled knowingly. "That's what I thought." I pushed myself up and off of him, much to his dismay, and walked slowly over to my pile of clothes. "Ever about me?" I asked suddenly, the words not actually supposed to have come out of my mouth.

"A-about y-yo-you?" He stuttered out, and I imagined his eyes were locked on my ass as I bent over for a prolonged moment to pick up my costume piece by piece.

"Well, yeah. Unless you're a porn kinda guy." I added and stood up. His eyes shot up to my face, so I smiled. "Whatever works, right?"

"Fine. Yes, I have...about you."

"Good." I started to pull on the dress over my head and wiggle my way through it.

"For a while, actually."

I looked at him through the head-hole of the dress. "A while? Like... how long a while?"

He paused as he waited for me to emerge from the dress Rhonda was forcing me to wear. Once it was on, I put my hands on my hips and looked at him expectantly. "Well? How long? You've got me curious."

He chewed on his lip for a moment and grabbed the jeans from his pile of costume. "Since uh..." he swallowed and said quietly, "end of seventh grade, maybe."

"What?! You're kidding!" I reached behind my back and pulled up the zipper. Arnold was cautiously waiting to pull on his pants and it was nice to know my little lap dance had achieved it's goal.

"Yeah..." he dragged out the middle of the word as he began buttoning up the dark olive dress shirt. "You never gave me many answers, and you... you started...filling out." He smirked at his statement and pulled on the vest that actually didn't look as bad with the rest of the _ensemble_ as I had thought it would. "Kinda drove me crazy. And then there was that kiss and-"

"Your mind just went for it, huh football-head?"

He was still blushing, but I was now too. To know that I hadn't been the only one kept up at night by the constant imaginings of my hormonal brain gave me a strange sense of relief.

"You still kinda drive me crazy. But in a good way."

"Well, I'd hope so. I don't give lap dances to just any football-head."

"About that." he started, "You know that was a mean thing you just did." He said all of a sudden and I frowned and dropped my arms to my sides; belt in hand.

"Oh whatever, hair boy."

"Seriously." he walked over to me, toting the brown shoes, and reached to gently grab my chin and hold my face to look at him. "I could... we could..." he took a breath and tried again, "You have NO idea how badly I wanted to...still want to..." his voice trailed off and I smiled mischievously as he held my chin.

"I think I do." I grazed my hand over the bulge still in his pants before dragging it up his body and ultimately reaching to touch at his wrist as he held my face in place.

"And I think we need to get up to the roof before they decide to investigate." He dropped his hand and turned around to walk back to his bed so he could sit down and put the shoes on.

We finished putting the clothes and accessories on, and with a quick kiss, we each took a breath, grabbed the remainder of the camera supplies and climbed up the ladder to join the rest of our group up on the roof and finish setting up.

"Goodness. THAT took forever." Rhonda voiced and stood up from where she had been seated on the green velvet-y couch that had been up there since we had been in middle school.

"Well this dress is a nightmare." I crossed my arms and pursed my lips as I looked at Rhonda. "I couldn't have just worn my _own_ clothes?"

"Juliet wouldn't be caught DEAD in your every day attire. Juliet is a beautiful, alluring young woman and thus needs to look like she isn't some hobo on a street begging for change."

My eyes rolled and I shook my head. "Whatever, Princess."

"Okay guys, you ready to start?" Eugene cut in to break up the squabble already happening between Rhonda and I.

Arnold was behind me unzipping the black bags that held the tripod and began setting up everything quietly making sure not to arouse any suspicion.

Because he was pretty aroused himself.

"Need any help over there, hair boy?" I asked, but he shook his head minimally as he hooked up the camera to the tripod.

"No, I think you've been enough help, Helga." He snapped, but his expression was borderline playful so I didn't take it too much to heart.

"What did you do to piss HIM off? Can't have an angry Romeo." Rhonda was looking into a small compact and patting her face with a piece of newspaper? She caught eye of me watching her and smirked. "Keeps me from getting too shiny." She explained.

"I don't actually care." I said while nodding my head, and Eugene clapped his hands a few times.

"Places, places everyone!"

"You haven't even told us where to go, klutzo." I commented flatly and he frowned for a moment- something I don't think I've ever really seen. Aside from that time his goldfish died in like what, fourth grade?

"I'm ever so certain that there looks to be stage directions on the side, right Eugene?" Lila chimed in. I had totally forgotten she was still here; it wasn't like _Li_ la to be all observant and quiet.

"Right! Most scripts are written that way to help with blocking."

We spent the next twenty minutes going through just what we were doing. God bless Eugene, because I never would have been able to remain as patient as he did while Rhonda asked a million different idiotic questions about theatrical terms she would never have to remember a day in her life.

FINALLY, it was time to film, and let me tell you, filming is the most dumb and tedious thing I've ever had to go through. We must have done the same scene like eight times.

"You kidding? I am not doing it again. No way."

"It's just a turn to the camera, Helga. Arnold will edit it together so it looks like you two are simultaneously seeing each other for the first time; love at first sight." Eugene grinned and I shook my head.

"I get the idea, doi. I'm just sick of doing it. We've been here for like... an hour now and done TWO SCENES because SOMEBODY couldn't remember their lines." I shot a look at Arnold who eyed me curiously.

"Sorry, Helga." He said, his eyes focused on me while the words left his mouth.

"You SHOULD be. It isn't like I couldn't be doing something more important."

"To be perfectly honest, I think our project should be most important; don't you Helga?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah, yeah." I waved in her direction as if wiping her away all together. "Still. If _Romeo_ over there could just use that freakish head of his to remember his lines, we'd be done by now."

"And then what were your plans?" He asked suddenly and I shrugged feeling as though I'd been caught off guard.

"I don't know. But at least I'd be away from you dorks."

Arnold's eyes watched me as I stretched upwards and then bent over to touch my toes.

I glanced up at him from my toe touching and grinned. "Why don't you take a picture, it'll last longer."

"Can we PLEASE continue with the filming? Watching you two flirt is getting REALLY exhausting." Rhonda whined, and I returned to a normal stance and ignored her; my attention still on Arnold.

"You ready, or what?" I asked him and he nodded his head.

"I'm ready."

"We could do a different scene, if you'd prefer." Eugene offered. "How about the dance?"

I shrugged carelessly. "Sure. Whatever floats your boat."

"Remember, you two are supposed to be in LOVE with each other. So throw on the charm or something. Shouldn't be THAT hard."

"Oh I'll tell you what's hard..." I mumbled and Arnold's cheeks flushed red briefly despite he was the only one who heard my comment.

"So put on the charm like be all over him or what?" I asked, not really needing the answer.

"Do you think Juliet would be motivated to do that? It's all about the character choices. BECOME the character." Eugene coached and I internally laughed at his bizarre seriousness.

"I think you're supposed to be dancing, right?" Rhonda tried to confirm and I glanced at my script before tossing it to the side.

"Look at that. Princess is right. Dancing it is." I shot Arnold a playful look, and his eyes grew wide.

"Romeo sees Juliet dancing and comes over to dance with her." Lila read from the script aloud.

"So modernize the dancing, Pataki. Know how to do that, or should I show you?"

"I think I've watched you grind enough at passed school dances to know how to turn a guy on to want to dance with me."

"Really? I've never seen anyone dance with you before."

I frowned, but Arnold oddly enough came to my rescue.

"Doesn't mean she hasn't, Rhonda."

Her eyes watched him for a while before glancing over to me and then back to him. "What. You'd ask her to dance?"

"Depends." He said thoughtfully, "I guess I would have to see what kind of dances she was doing."

"Well by all means. I can't wait to see this." Rhonda's voice was slick, and she reached over to turn on the bluetooth speakers she had provided. Instantly a song began to play, and I focused on the beat of the music letting it move through me and consume all that was Helga G. Pataki.

"So start dancing and dance for a moment. I'll wave you in so you can join her, okay Arnold?" Eugene directed and he nodded his head. "Remember, you have to be hesitant at first. And just have fun." He offered a warm smile, but it didn't calm my fast-beating heart.

Rhonda had been right- I'd never danced in front of anyone before... especially not the way we had written for Juliet to dance. _"Sexy but with class,"_ Rhonda had instructed when we first talked about the scene last week. _"Juliet has to make him want to dance with her."_

I focused on Arnold, trying to make Lila, Rhonda and Eugene disappear as I began to awkwardly sway my hips.

"C'mon, Pataki. You can do better than THAT." Rhonda heckled.

"Rhonda. Don't talk during the scene..." Eugene whispered but I shook my head in their direction.

"No sweat. I'm just warming up." I smirked, but could feel my hands shaking as I tried to keep my attention on Arnold.

And then I got into it.

I tried to remember what I had just done a little while ago to Arnold on his bed. Swaying my hips to and fro I closed my eyes for a moment and re-opened them with a lustful gaze directed at Arnold who looked back with a mirrored look.

Suddenly, the music turned up in volume, but I continued to dance; my body moving in time with the beat. I started to slide my hands up my sides, trying to remember the things I'd seen other girls do at dances to get attention. I added in a small lip bite, and dipped my hips low, sticking my ass out and sliding my hands over my thighs as I came back up.

Arnold's breathing had kicked up. I could see his chest heaving from where I danced in front of him.

I watched as Eugene waved for Arnold to cut in and he did just that. Walking up to me, he searched my eyes before slowly moving with me in time with the music. The rest of our group soon disappeared the moment his hand rested on my waist.

It was just us.

Arnold and Me.

Together.

I rested my arms on his shoulders as I had done earlier and slowly began to sway my hips down his leg and back up again.

He wanted me so bad. I could see it in the way he was watching me.

So I kept going.

Project be dammed, this was our moment.

He set his other hand on the opposite side of my waist and began to get into it; something I'd never imagined Arnold to do. He was pushing his hips to mine and we slowly grooved to the beat that the speaker was playing for us. I reached up and touched his cheek lightly, our eyes searching each others for a moment. His hands slid up my back and rested lightly on my shoulders from behind; my body drawing closer to his. I could feel the tension between us, and just as I was about to lean in to press my lips against his- I was snapped back into reality.

"Wowza." Rhonda said, her hands slow clapping as Arnold and I awkwardly pushed each other away to compose ourselves. "Talk about getting into character, am I right guys?" she coaxed, but Eugene had a smile on his face and Lila's eyes were wide as if she'd just finished watching shark week on tv.

"Can I...Uh... I gotta go to the bathroom." Arnold spat out and nearly ran for downstairs.

I stood dumbfounded in front of the remaining members of our group.

"Impressive, Pataki. You actually got _Arnold_ all hot. It almost looked like he actually wanted you. Talk about acting."

I shook my head and crossed my arms. "You must have been imagining things," I tried, but by the look on Rhonda's face she wasn't buying it. "First you say we're dating, and then you say he wants nothing to do with me. Make up your mind."

"I don't know what you two are talking about, that was great!" Eugene was ecstatic. "That look in your eyes, Helga. THAT was what I was talking about when I said getting into character. You have a real knack for acting."

I laughed. "Yeah right. All I did was dance, Eugene."

"Are you sure it won't be too... risque? For a school project?" Lila asked hesitantly, but Eugene was already shaking his head.

"It may be sexualized, but Romeo and Juliet is a passionate tale and to modernize it properly-"

"You have to add more sex." I shrugged my shoulders. "Times have changed."

"I guess you're right." She answered, but didn't sound too convinced.

We waited for a moment before realizing Arnold wasn't exactly coming back right away. I glanced down at my phone that was sitting on the floor next to the tripod to see it was already passed noon.

"Maybe you guys wanna order the pizza while I check on football-head? Might as well do something while we're waiting. And I'm getting hungry."

"Sure, I can order it off of my phone!" Eugene offered, which gave me my cue to leave the roof and wander down into Arnold's room.

Empty.

"That's weird..." I muttered to myself as I looked around. "Arnold?" I called out, but got no response.

Carefully, I opened the door of his room to quietly walk down the stairs into the main part of the boarding house. Arnold had said his Grandma and Grandpa would be out celebrating a birthday for a friend of theirs down at the local senior center, and I began to thank my lucky stars they weren't around.

Seemed the rest of the boarders were in their rooms as well, so the house was pretty quiet.

I made my way to the bathroom and knocked on the closed door. "Knock, knock." I said, and the door swung open so Arnold could grab my wrist, pull me inside, and quickly lock the door behind me.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to compose myself."

"And why would you need to do that?" I asked with heavy sarcasm, but his lips crushed the smile I had to go with it.

He was kissing me feverishly as if he couldn't stop himself. Seemed my dancing had had a greater affect on him than I had expected.

Soon my back was against the wall, his lips parting slightly as we kissed. His lips ventured to begin kissing down my neck, and I tilted my head back as he continued to kiss downward. He pulled back suddenly and watched me for a moment before I opened my eyes to look at him.

"Yeah?" I asked with a smile, but I already knew what was about to happen. I reached up to rest my hand on his neck and push him back so he was up against the sink. "Better?" I questioned, sliding both hands down his chest to rest on the belt loops of his jeans.

"I... you..." He stumbled but I was already unbuttoning his jeans and pushing them down off of his hips.

"Shh..." I shushed him, my hand snaking its way into his boxers, and his head fell back to let a soft moan escape his lips.

"You gotta shut your mouth, hair boy, or someone will hear us." I whispered into his ear as I gripped him tighter under the cotton of his underwear.

Arnold's breathing had increased speed with my hand as I stroked him; his hips beginning to move with the pace I set. In an effort to quiet him, I leaned in to kiss his lips hard; his lips melting into mine. I could tell he was struggling to focus on kissing me as he kept parting his lips to breathe heavily through his mouth, nearly panting.

And then, a soft knock startled us from our canoodling.

"Arnold? Helga? I'm perfectly certain you're in there."

"Li-Lila?" I stuttered out, Arnold and I frozen as we talked to the locked door separating us from each other.

"Well whomever did you think it was?" Was she being SASSY with me?

Criminy.

"What are you doing?" I asked again, seeing as Arnoldo wasn't in any condition to be answering questions.

"Why I'm sure I'm just checking on you two. You've been gone a while now and Rhonda wanted to come and find you but... but I offered to instead."

I looked to Arnold who looked at me with slight confusion before taking a small breath and saying softly, "Why did you do that?"

"Well gosh," she started in that sickeningly sweet tone of hers, "I knew if she found you two here like this... why I'm oh so sure she wouldn't just keep that kind of information to herself."

My jaw dropped and a small smile hinted on Arnold's face.

"Well shit, Lila. Th-thanks." I managed, and you could hear the smile in her voice.

"Of course, Helga. Arnold. How much longer do you suppose you'll be?" She asked innocently and I eyed Arnold and wiggled my brow at him.

"How bout it, Arnoldo?" I whispered just loud enough for him to hear.

He swallowed hard before stuttering out, "Maybe like... f-five more minutes..."

"Is that pizza here yet, or what?"

I heard Lila's pixie giggles from behind the door. "I'm sure it'll be here shortly."

"Good. Cause I'm just about famished. We'll... we'll catch ya up there in a minute, Lila."

"Alright," her tone was almost skeptical, but just the same, her footsteps faded away and vanished to leave us once again alone in the bathroom.

"Five minutes, huh?"

* * *

When we emerged back onto the roof, the scent of pizza was traveling through the air around us.

"What kind are we eating, hmm?" I asked, plopping down to sit on a fold out chair nearby.

"Cheese. I find meat to be greasy and simply unappetizing."

"And the grease pools in the cheese are much better? Sheesh." I scoffed and started to shove a big piece into my mouth; chomping away on it.

"Yikes, Helga. Hasn't anyone ever taught you proper table manners?" Rhonda watched as I wiped my face on my sleeve and smiled, my mouth full of food.

"Nope." I popped the 'p' and some spit flew in her general direction.

I'd never been so proud.

"GROSS. How do you STAND it?" She asked Arnold who looked at her dumbfounded.

"Stand what?" he replied, taking a bite of his pizza.

"Her? I mean seriously, Arnold. You really could have anybody in the school."

"Did I... miss something when I was gone on Friday?" Eugene asked, puzzled; his eyes looking between the four of us.

"Rhonda has the dumbest notion that Arn _oldo_ and I are having a steamy secret love affair."

"I wouldn't quite use 'steamy' as my adjective of choice, but yeah. That's the gist of it I suppose."

"Well are you? We're all friends around here." Eugene coaxed, but as much as I knew Eugene was probably telling the truth, Rhonda certainly wasn't as trustworthy as his accident-proned self.

So I scoffed at him. "Please. As if we have any kind of feelings for each other."

"It's kind of funny really." Arnold said with a slight laugh, a very fake one might I add.

"And why's that, Arnold?" I asked and he finished the piece of pizza in his hands. He then reached down to grab a napkin, and wiped his hands.

"Because Helga hates me."

"You got THAT right." I crossed my arms over my chest for a moment before deciding I was still hungry and reached over to grab another piece.

"But notice how he didn't say that HE hated her. Maybe I've been wrong this whole time... could... could YOU have a thing for HELGA?"

Rhonda gasped.

And Arnold shrugged.

HE SHRUGGED.

Our circle grew quiet for a moment.

"So who was on the phone?" Eugene asked out of the blue, and Arnold looked at him quizzically.

"The phone?"

"Yeah. Lila said you had this emergency call. Is everything alright?" He asked, and Lila shot us a wink when we looked in her direction.

"Uh...yeah. Yeah it was just Grandpa. Said he would be home soon and...and wanted me to-"

I continued for him, "Wanted us to leave earlier than normal. The boarders are having-"

"Poker night up here tonight or something." Arnold finished and our group looked at one another before nodding our heads.

"Well okay. We can find time to finish the video tomorrow, I'm sure. Don't you think, guys?" Eugene asked, and we all grumbled a 'yes' as we began to clean up after ourselves before we had to head back to school.

Since I had opted to drive separately from the rest of them, I had a nice quiet car ride so my thoughts could scream like crazy inside of my head.

This whole, 'group project' thing had really screwed up the groove Arnold and I had going... it was so much harder to PRETEND you hated someone when you were off giving them handys in a bathroom behind everybody's backs.

 _Criminy,_ I thought, _how were Arnold and I supposed to make it through the rest of this damn project?_

But on Tuesday, our final filming day, it was the moment we reached Eugene's house where we were to film the balcony scene that I realized a more important question was looming it's ugly head; _How far was Rhonda Wellington Lloyd willing to go to expose us?_

The answer became clear the moment the words passed my lips.

"Fine. We were together. Congratulations, Princess! You figured it out! But before you go blabbing it to the entire school, let me make your story a little jucier for when you tell it later." I looked over to Arnold who was staring at me and shaking his head; his arms tightly crossed. "It's over, Arnold. The jig is up." I spun around to push passed Rhonda who stood frozen.

"Happy now?" I muttered to her, before storming off to get in my car and drive far, far away from the tragedy that is _Romeo and Juliet._

* * *

 **** **Shit's getting real, my friends!**

 **Review** **, and I'll see ya at the next chapter, my lovelies!**


	7. Spies, Lies and Alibis

_**Hello All! This chapter is so short only because I have a longer chapter coming up with a special surprise so enjoy this before that is posted!**_

 _ **REVIEW!**_

 _ **xox**_

 _ **Polkahotness**_

* * *

"Fine. We were together. Congratulations, Princess! You figured it all out! But before you go blabbing it to the entire school let me make your story a little jucier for when you tell it later." I looked over to Arnold who was staring at me and shaking his head; his arms tightly crossed. "It's over, Arnold. The jig is up." I spun around to push passed Rhonda who stood frozen.

"Happy now?" I muttered to her, before storming off to get in my car and drive far, far away from the tragedy that is _Romeo and Juliet._

My phone buzzed on the passenger seat as I sped away, my foot pressing hard on the gas pedal. I glanced over to see Arnold's face flashing on the caller ID, but I ignored it.

He could come and find me if he wanted me so damn bad.

That football-headed twerp. That freakish little imp. How COULD he? How could he just... do that! To ME? The one he said he loved... when it hadn't been me all along.

"What about LOVE? What about, I'll never reject you? What about THAT, football-head?!" I yelled as I banged the steering wheel in frustration. "And then you just go and do a stupid thing like... like THAT!"

The familiar buzzing began again as Arnold had tried to call me once more. I reached over and held the power button to turn the phone off.

"There. Try calling me NOW, Arn _oldo_."

It had all started out innocently enough.

We had all been standing around the computer watching the scenes we had shot. THANKFULLY, today had gone a thousand times better than yesterday, so we had finished all the scenes we needed to film.

But the Rhonda babbling didn't stop. It only escalated. And soon, fake fighting somehow turned into real fighting.

" _It just looks kinda dumb, that's all I'm saying."_

" _How does it look dumb, Helga? I spent all night working on it."_

Probably why he didn't call me AGAIN last night _, I had thought._

" _I'm actually quite impressed, considering how realistic it all looks. You two almost have me convinced you two are madly in love."_

" _That's what acting is, Lloyd. But thanks, I guess."_

 _She leaned on the table we were all leaning around to look at the laptop and batted her eyes a moment._

" _It just seemed so... raw. So real. But that's absurd, isn't it? Since you hate each other and all?"_

" _Hit the head right on the nail there, Rhonda." I said, now becoming bored of her accusations rather than annoyed._

" _Unless," She started thoughtfully, although I figured she had known all along what it was she would say to me, "Unless it was all driven by sexual tension or something."_

" _Tense? HA. No tension here. Yuck."_

 _Lila looked at Eugene for a moment before eyeing Arnold for a prolonged moment._

 _And if Rhonda hadn't been pissing me off so damn much with all her snobby little questions of hers, maybe I would have shot little miss_ Li _la the glare she deserved for giving Arnold such a look._

" _Oh, oh right," Rhonda said. If she kept going, she'd need to pause to reapply that ugly red lipstick that coated her lips day in and day out. "The two of you got all that tension out yesterday during filming. Silly me, I plum forgot!"_

 _My eyes narrowed, but I kept my mouth shut- partially due to the fact that my teeth were grinding so hard they could have worn down an iron bar._

" _Rhonda, knock it off." Arnold said, his eyes never looking so serious before as he focused soley on Rhonda who refused to give up._

" _What? You can't tell me you all weren't thinking it? They were gone for forever!" Her eyes shifted between Lila and Eugene._

 _It was Lila who piped up._

" _I'm ever so certain it was me who found them yesterday, Rhonda. And I'm just oh so sure they were on the phone is all."_

" _Yeah, we can trust Lila. C'mon you guys! Let's finish this up..." Eugene tried, but it was useless. Rhonda had dug her designer stiletto heels in and she wasn't about to give up that easily._

" _I'm not so sure_ I _would trust Lila."_

" _What ever do you mean?" She asked, her freckled face scrunching up into a puzzled expression._

" _Well, a little birdie told me that you and Arnold have been seeing a lot of each other the passed couple of days... at the nook."_

 _My eyes widened before I shook my head a bit and smirked. "Arnold and Lila? Please."_

" _No really. During the free period after lunch, right?"_

 _My eyes shot over to look at Arnold and Lila who remained silent at Rhonda's accusatory story._

Why isn't he sticking up for himself? Why isn't he telling her to shut her trap because she's wrong? Unless... _I thought with fearful caution,_ Unless... _I dared to think again._

" _Pfft." I tried, but my heart was racing in my chest under my bully facade. "Like I care what Arn_ oldo _does with Little Goody-Two-Shoes? He and his weird shaped head can do whatever he pleases."_

 _But I cared a lot._

 _I cared too much, maybe._

" _Well if I were you, maybe I would care a bit more. Seeing as I have other witnesses who have seen Lila leave Arnold's house for the passed two nights."_

" _He..." My eyes searched Arnold's but he didn't say anything._ Why wasn't he SAYING anything?! _My thoughts were screaming in my head._

" _Rhonda, what you're insinuating... it's not true." Arnold finally responded, but his voice was quiet- almost... guilty._

" _But she was there wasn't she?" Rhonda continued._

" _Nothing happened-"_

" _But she WAS there." She repeated, more forcefully. A statement, not an accusation._

 _Arnold took a deep breath, his shoulders dropping with his exhale of breath. "Yeah."_

 _I shook my head, furious on the inside, but sure that as soon as class let out Arnold would explain everything and it would all make sense. This was ARNOLD after all- perfect, smart, beautiful, nearly perfect Arnold._

 _And Arnold loved me._

 _At least he'd said._

" _Fine. So Arnold sees Lila after school sometimes. Big woop. What's so interesting about that?"_

 _The next words out of Rhonda Wellington Lloyd's mouth made me want to pound her more than I've ever wanted to pound a living soul in my whole life. It was as if that little snobby slimeball was inside my head taunting me with paranoid thoughts and insecurities I thought I had rid myself of._

 _The corners of Rhonda's lips tilted up into a wicked smile._

" _What's interesting isn't that she's seeing Arnold, is it?" She asked to the two, but neither seemed to want to answer the question Rhonda posed. "What's interesting is that she doesn't just leave through the front door, now does she?"_

" _Wh-What?" I stuttered out, the hard front I had been putting up since as long as I could remember melting down into a puddle on the floor._

" _Yeah, she leaves by way of the fire escape."_

" _The... the fire escape?" I repeated, in shock._

" _Rhonda, why are you doing this?" Arnold was mad. He never got mad._

 _Rhonda continued to smile, clearly very proud of herself. "Because Helga has the right to know, yes? Because you're DATING?"_

 _"Why does this matter to you so much, Rhonda? Why does Helga and mine's relationship matter to you?" He asked with clear irritation and Rhonda grinned._

 _"So it's true? I was right?! My, my... then Helga CERTAINLY has the right to know."_

 _To know WHAT, Rhonda? Nothing is even happening! This whole conversation is ridiculous!" Arnold said defensively, but his words didn't give me back any of the confidence I only a few minutes ago had had in our relationship._

 _Nah, that all went out the door the moment Rhonda mentioned Lila's name._

" _The right to know that Lila climbs in your sky window, stays for a few hours, and then leaves through that same window and climbs down the fire escape." she made three 'tsk' sounds with her mouth before continuing. "Seems awfully suspicious if you ask me."_

 _I didn't want to believe it._ Maybe it was me they saw, _I thought,_ Maybe it was just me and they THOUGHT it was Lila...

 _But even from a TOWN away, Lila and I didn't look any more alike than Stinky looked like Geraldo._

 _The fact of the matter is if it had been Lila... it was Lila._

 _And Arnold confirmed she had been there._

 _Suddenly, everything at once made sense; the lack of phone calls, the not talking to me as much thing, being ultra tired because he stayed up all night 'working on the project.'_

" _I can't believe I was that stupid." I muttered out loud; my thoughts on keeping our little love affair a secret now null and void. "You tricked me, football-head."_

" _Helga, no I didn't. You don't understand- she's twisting everything around."_

" _So why was she at your place then, huh?"_

" _Thought you didn't care, Helga." Rhonda said with a smirk and I snapped my head in her direction with a death glare and one finger pointed directly at her._

" _If you knew what was good for you, Princess, you would shut that pretty little mouth of yours. Remember- I still know things that could RUIN you." I nearly spat the words at her, but it got her to zip her lips._

" _So why was she there, Arnold? If Rhonda is so wrong about everything and her little disciples are only spreading lies about the two of you... enlighten me. What for?"_

 _He sat quietly, watching me with a level of pain in his eyes I'd never seen before. After a moment, he quietly said, "I can't tell you, Helga."_

" _And just why the hell not?" my voice was getting louder, but thankfully nobody important was around to hear or care for that matter, it was just us in the living room of Eugene's house._

" _Because... because I just can't, but you need to believe me-"_

" _Why should I?"_

" _Because you know me, Helga."_

" _Or do I?" I raised my brow at him, my heart hurting in my chest._

 _I wanted to believe him. I wanted to trust the words that came out of that beautiful mouth I had kissed so many times- the beautiful mouth that told me Arnold loved me despite our past and our judgmental friends around us._

 _And maybe I would have believed him if the whole thing hadn't revolved around_ Li _la._

 _Miss Goody-Two-Shoes_ Li _la._

 _The same Lila that Arnold was basically in love with for most of our life- the woman who had stood in the way so many times before we finally got together._

 _How I hated her and that auburn hair of hers. No wonder she had been so freakin' nice to me- the girl was running around with Arnold behind my back._

" _You have to believe me, Helga. I would just never do such a thing to you..."_

" _Right. Like I'm going to believe that you told me you liked Arnold, you'd love to have a second chance with Arnold but you'd just NEVER do such a horrible thing to me. Just NEVER. Well_ Li _la, seems as though you're nothing but a liar."_

" _Helga-" Arnold tried, but I cut him off._

" _And YOU. You said you loved me. You said that you would never reject me- that you would never DREAM of hurting me. I wanted so badly to believe you- I wanted to believe that all that waiting had paid off and we could ride off into the sunset together and live happily ever after, HA! What a pipe dream! What a foolish ridiculous notion! How could I ever trust some football-headed parent-less lying little twerp like you?" I was sobbing now, screaming at him with everything I had in me._

 _Sure Eugene, Lila and even Rhonda were watching me with shock and staring at the best live show they'd ever seen in all their lives._

 _Sure I instantly felt horrible for the things I said to the boy... the man I had grown so fond of that it felt like my heart was ripping right out of my chest._

 _Sure I knew this was officially it and our secret was definitely blown- but I didn't care._

 _He had cheated on me._

 _He deserved everything I spat out at him._

 _And he didn't even flinch._

 _After I finished my screaming at him, I huffed and puffed- tears free falling down my cheeks as if in a race._

" _I...I-" Rhonda was in shock._ I didn't realize what I was doing, _she'd probably say._

" _Save it, Rhonda." I said before turning to face Lila- my most hated enemy who looked at me with tears in her own eyes. "And why the tears, Lila? Sad you got caught? Sad your little scheme is over?"_

" _Helga..." She sniffled, reaching up to wipe her cheek of her shameful cheating tears. "I'm...I'm just ever so c-certain you don't under-understand..."_

" _Helga, please, let me explain." Arnold pleaded. Tears were building in his eyes, but they never fell. He was trying so hard to remain calm after all of the hurtful things I had said to him._

" _You HAD your chance, Arn_ oldo. _You could have told me any damn time you wanted-"_

" _It isn't like that, Helga! Why won't you listen to me?" His voice was angry now and only growing louder with each word._

" _Because you lied! Because you won't even tell me what it is you were doing-"_

" _I CAN'T!" He screamed at me._

" _WHY NOT?!" I screamed back at him. The hot glares of Eugene, Lila and Rhonda made me feel like I was cooking from the inside out; my insides boiling beneath my skin._

" _BECAUSE, Helga. I just can't. If you would just trust me... you'll understand why soon enough-"_

 _I laughed at him._

 _Right in his face._

 _A big 'ole head back, full-bellied laugh._

" _I'll understand soon enough, huh?" I softened my voice now, a fake smile plastered on my face. "You really think so, huh? Why's that, Hair Boy?"_

" _Because I love you." He said very boldly, and for a moment- just a moment -I believed him once again._

 _And then out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lila._

 _The belief thing quickly spiraled away like a big shit going down a toilet._

" _There." I said quietly, my voice even softer than before. "There's your proof, Rhonda."_

" _Helga, I-" She tried again, her voice almost sounding sympathetic but I didn't give her the chance to finish._

" _Does everyone see?" I asked, turning around in a circle of sorts to look at each person individually. "Secrets out."_

" _Helga..." Arnold's cheeks were glistening- I'd made the kid cry. Inside my chest, my heart ached; wanted to reach out and hug him and apologize for all the wrong I'd done and said. I wanted to apologize for making him cry and for hurting him... and then I remembered._

 _He'd done this to himself._

 _I hadn't done shit._

 _I smiled weakly, tears still flowing down my cheeks as I continued with my big exit. "Fine. We were together. Congratulations, Princess! You figured it all out! But before you go blabbing it to the entire school let me make your story a little jucier for when you tell it later." I looked over to Arnold who was staring at me and shaking his head; his arms tightly crossed. "It's over, Arnold. The jig is up." I spun around to push passed Rhonda who stood frozen._

" _Happy now?"_

The whole thing replayed over and over in my head as I drove mindlessly to escape the pain I'd left behind with Arnold.

Everything I thought I had, everything I had wanted was still at Eugene's place up in flames. The relationship I'd dreamed about my whole life was kaput.

And the cherry on top of my sundae-of-a-day was the knowledge that by tomorrow, Rhonda will have told every living soul who walked the halls of Hillwood High that Helga G. Pataki completely flipped out on Arnold and like a wuss, spilled her heart and tears right there in front of her and her group. I'd be the laughing stock of the whole damn school before first period even began.

And then I'd have to face Arnold. AND Lila.

There was no escaping it.

I took a deep breath and gripped the steering wheel tightly.

Arnold had broken my heart.

And there was nothing I could do about it.


	8. From the Eyes of a Football-Headed Lover

**~ARNOLD~**

I hadn't cheated on Helga.

Not only was that the most ridiculous lie I've ever heard, but the fact that Helga believed it...that hurt.

I thought I had done so well proving to Helga how much I cared about her. I thought she knew, without a doubt, that I was in love with her and I had no intention of screwing that up- especially by CHEATING.

That wasn't me at all.  
But Helga had believed it.

"RHONDA." I was glaring at her. "Do you KNOW what you've just DONE?"

Her cheeks were bright red, the shade almost matching her lipstick and shirt completely. "I...I didn't know. I didn't realize-"

"You DID know. That's all you've been saying ALL WEEK. But you just had to keep going, keep pushing."

"Well what did you expect me to do? You were the one cheating on her-"

"I WASN'T CHEATING ON HER, RHONDA!" I shouted, and walked over to the nearest wall to slide down it with my back and sit scrunched up on the floor; my head in my hands. "I was..."

"You were what?"

"I was working on a way to ask her to prom, Rhonda." I sighed, shaking my head in my hands; my words coming out muffled. "I had Lila over to help me while I did something special for Helga to ask her to prom."

Silence.

"Oh." Rhonda finally said.

"Yea- and then you RUINED everything and now... Now it's over." Hot tears were falling down my cheeks now, but I didn't bother to reach up and wipe them away.

"Well, maybe you should call her? I'm sure she'll understand that I-"

"That you WHAT?" I shot my head up to glare at her. "You saw how she acted when I tried to explain. She believes YOU. You picked someone you KNEW she hated and-"

"I only said what I was told, Arnold. Facts."

"Lies! You told lies. And you didn't even bother to ask before you went around spreading them."

"What? Cause you would have told me?"

"I would have stopped you from ruining the best thing that's ever happened to me, yes."

"Helga G. Pataki? The BEST thing that ever happened to you? Ha. Please."

"What?" I narrowed my eyes and pushed myself up from the floor. "You don't think that could possibly be true? That I could be happy with Helga?"

She laughed quietly, "Frankly? No, no I don't."

"Well that's because you don't know her like I do."

Rhonda watched me for a long time, our gazes locked on each other in a stare down of sorts.

Eugene cleared his throat before sitting down on a nearby chair. "Maybe you should call her, Arnold. We can be done for the day if you want."

I nodded my head a few times, finally breaking my look from Rhonda. "Yea. Yea that's fine." Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I tapped Helga's name to call her.

Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring.  
She wasn't answering. Of course she wasn't answering.

"Hey, this is Helga. If you actually think I wanna talk to you, leave a message or something. Maybe I'll call you back, but I wouldn't get your hopes up." BEEP.

I hung up and shook my head. "Seriously, Helga?" I mumbled to myself before tapping her name again.

Ring. Ring.  
"Hey, this is Helga. If you actu-" Click.

"So?" Eugene asked and I shook my head, biting my lip for a moment to suppress tears of frustration. I was losing her.

"She shut her phone off."

"Maybe she just doesn't want to talk to you, ever thought of that?" Rhonda sarcastically tossed the words out of her mouth, but I had had enough of her acting like what she'd done wasn't a big deal. I was tired of her blowing this off like it was some fluke that would have broken itself up anyway.

Sure, we were only 16 and maybe Helga had acted like I was her mortal enemy and favorite victim ever since pre-k, but Rhonda was wrong about her, and I was determined to get her to understand just what Helga meant to me.

"Look, Rhonda. I know that you think Helga is a grade-a bully with no feelings and I get that you two have never seen eye to eye. That's fine if you never want to get to know who she is and what she's actually like but I HAVE. Helga is... Well... she's wonderful. She's smart and thoughtful and caring and funny and no matter what she's done or said it doesn't take all of that away from who she really is."

Rhonda was watching me intently, her expression fading from smug to guilty really fast.

But I couldn't stop. It was like this dam that had been keeping away all of my feelings for the passed 6 months had completely crumbled and all the things I'd wanted to say to Rhonda this week were suddenly bursting out.

"Just because she doesn't show it to all of you, doesn't mean it isn't there. And instead of supporting us and being real friends, you've only been mean and accusing and made up horrible lies about not only me, but Lila who has been anything but a home-wrecker. And that's not right. Helga has been... determined not to tell anybody about us because she KNOWS that THIS is how everybody will act and while I didn't want to believe it, I guess it's true. You'll stop at nothing to destroy this, only so you can go and tell everyone that you were right and you were responsible for breaking it all up." Rhonda was chewing on her lip as she kept silent while I raged on and on, my filters completely off.

I was running entirely on fumes of anger; fumes I had held back for what felt like years.

"But this isn't People magazine, Rhonda. This is high school; this is REAL LIFE. I love her, Rhonda. And we were right on the verge of actually being open about everything to everyone. And you ruined it. You ruined something that has real consequences and a real effect on people's lives. Don't you feel bad? Don't you feel even just a little bit of remorse?!" I was nearly yelling now, and Rhonda stood frozen; her eyes locked on mine while I fumed before her.

The room was silent. That weird kind of suspending silence that acts as an invisible cloud of smoke you just can't wave out the window.

"I'm... I'm sorry, Arnold." Rhonda said sheepishly, looking down at her feet.

I sighed, feeling as though a weight the size of a building had been lifted from my shoulders.

"You... you love her?" She asked after a moment, her eyes softer and genuinely curious.

"Yes, Rhonda. I love her." I said with a small nod.

"Like really, really? Like you REALLY love Helga? Helga G. Pataki?" She asked again, a slight disgust in her tone.

"Rhonda..."

"Alright, alright." She held her hands up, "I was just making sure."

My lips turned down into a frown, but a warm hand reached out to rest gently on my shoulder.

"Arnold?"

I looked over to Lila who looked at me with her familiar, sweet smile. "Yes, Lila?"

"I'm just ever so certain you should follow her." She was still sniffling; it was clear she had been really hurt by Rhonda's accusations and I couldn't help but feel bad that she had been caught in the crossfire of Rhonda's lies.

"I don't even know where she went... She has a tendency to, to," I took a breath and let it out, "to disappear."

"Maybe you should just, tell her?" Rhonda suggested quietly.

"And ruin everything I've been working on? No. She'll just have to listen to me and trust me."

"You really think she will, Arnold? After what Rhonda said?" Lila asked with hope, wiping her tear-stained cheeks once again.

"Well, I'll have to try, now won't I?"

"That's the spirit!" Eugene piped up, hopping to his feet with a grin burned onto his face. "If you try, you WILL succeed! I just know it!"

"Oh Eugene, are you really sure it will all be okay?" Lila asked, Eugene nodding his head.

"Of course he is. This is EUGENE you're speaking to." Rhonda said, her arms now crossed over her chest. She blinked her eyes over to look at me as I still stood, still looking somewhat discouraged. "Arnold, would you like some advice?"

I smirked without humor as a response, but she continued anyway; a look of seriousness now hinting on her perfectly made-up face. "If you love her, like REALLY love her, don't go and give up just because she said it's over. And if she really loves you," she paused for a moment, taking a breath and softening her tone as she spoke, "then you know it isn't actually over. She'll come back."

"You think so?" my voice was small, vulnerable.

"Well of course." She said very matter-of-factly. "I mean, it isn't like she has anywhere ELSE to run to at age 16."

And while I knew she was right and she was genuinely trying to offer advice, I still couldn't stop the pit in my stomach from growing.

Now that Rhonda knew I wasn't cheating on Helga with Lila and Helga and mine's secret was all out in the open; there was only one thing left to do- find Helga and get her to listen to me.

But considering I had no way of getting a hold of her... that wasn't exactly the easiest thing to do.

* * *

I spent the rest of my night working on the video alone; Lila deciding it might not be the best idea she come over anymore to help with it. I'd only asked her because, well... she was a girl. And despite Helga's protests, I was pretty sure Lila had some ideas as to what it was girls, especially Helga, might like.

Look, I didn't have a lot of friends I could trust with this kind of stuff who were girls, okay?

Anyway, she came in through the sky window because she could only stop by right after her art class which ended at 8:30, and by then most of the boarders were already asleep.

The thing is, I'd told Helga all that before. She knew the boarders were older and preferred to go to bed around 8. She knew they didn't like to be disturbed by the slamming of the door and all the animals always coming in and going out.

But one mention of Lila's name had sent her into a frenzy; everything changed and Rhonda's lies became more realistic to her. For some weird reason she could see Lila stealing everything from her... I never did understand Helga's obsession with her distaste towards Lila.

But I figured she'd get over it, or she'd realize maybe she'd overreacted and I deserved my chance to explain my side of the story Rhonda was twisting.

And then she didn't show up to school on Wednesday.

I looked in the hallways, searched really, but those beautiful blue eyes were missing from the crowded hallways. I'd even texted her, asking if she was planning on showing up at school, but she never responded which meant she either didn't read it or just didn't want to reply.

English was empty without her. We sat quietly and worked on our computers individually... the awkward tension between us from yesterday still to raw to deal with. I found that I couldn't focus on the editing of the video I had to do. I just kept... staring at the screen knowing what I had to do and yet unable to move my body to do it.

I decided to text Lila and ask her to meet me at the nook during free period. With hesitation, she agreed.

"Are you certain this is the best idea, Arnold? I don't want Helga to hate me anymore than she already does. I really thought we were making just the most progress."

I sighed and crossed my arms. "Lila. Once she hears my side of the story, she'll realize this isn't what Rhonda is claiming it is and everything will be alright."

"Really?" Her face lit up and she clasped her hands together in front of her chest. "You've decided to tell her about your prom proposal?"

"Well, no."

She dropped her hands to remain clasped but in front of her waist. "Then however do you plan on explaining why I was at your house?"

"You see I uh- well I haven't quite figured that part out yet, but she'll listen to me. I think." My tone grew less and less confident as I finished my statement, and Lila looked at me with a concerned expression.

"Oh Arnold, you're sure you don't just want to tell her?"

"Not unless I have to..." I mumbled, wondering if that time was coming sooner than I wanted.

"Well, I'm ever so certain you'll have to do something. It's not like Helga to skip English class."

"She's skipped all day. I've been trying to text her but..." my voice trailed off.

I felt Lila's hand rest gently on my shoulder which brought me out of my trance. "She'll answer you, Arnold. I'm just ever so sure that this will all turn out alright. But perhaps," She dropped her hand from my shoulder to her side and let out a small breath, "perhaps you should finish the prom proposal without my help."

"But how am I supposed to know if, if-"

"You'll know, Arnold. Afterall, you've known her your whole life, haven't you? You don't need me to tell you if what you're doing is oh so romantic enough for the woman you love. I'm just ever so certain that if you thought about it, really thought about it... you know exactly what it is you need to do to impress Helga."

She smiled and turned around to walk back to her class, but hesitated after a few steps and turned around. "And Arnold?"

"Yeah, Lila?"

"There was once a time that I liked you... liked you liked you that is."

I cocked an eyebrow. "Really?" _Why was she telling me this?_

"I never told you, of course."

"Was it when I had feelings for you?" I was curious as to where she was going with this, it was like 9 year old me was looking for some kind of closure to my wasted elementary years pining after Lila.

Her eyes looked down, ashamed. "Yes, it was."

"So why are you telling me now?"

"Because, Arnold. I want you to know that I would never try and break the two of you up. I really do like the two of you together, just ever so much."

"I know that, Lila. That you wouldn't try to break us up that is. That was just a lie told by Rhonda to get Helga and I to admit we were dating." I explained, but Lila was shaking her head; her eyes still cast downward.

"The problem is, Arnold, I DO still have feelings for you."

I glanced around me in the empty hallway as if looking for someone to jump out and yell that I was being pranked.

 _Was this really happening? Was Lila admitting she liked me after I had just broken up with Helga? She knew I no longer had feelings for her... so what was the point in telling me all of this?_

"But long before you and Helga ever got together... well to be perfectly honest, Helga had told me about her little crush on you. It was back when we did Romeo and Juliet. Do you remember, Arnold?"

I nodded my head, stunned at what it was she was telling me. _Helga hated Lila... why had she told her?_

"So when I started to like you like you... I remembered what Helga had confided in me those oh so many years ago and I knew that no matter what I felt, even if it WAS that I liked you liked you and I knew you liked me liked me, I could never let you know. I could never break that secret promise I had made to Helga and myself all those years ago in my room- even if she hated me. You should have heard the way she talked about you, Arnold..." Her voice trailed off, remembering the memory as if it were playing in front of her eyes like a movie only she could see. "She really loved you, even then. And I promised myself that as long as I could see that glow in her eyes when she looked at you, I would never- just never -act on my own feelings. Even if I knew it was hurting you."

"I didn't know that."

She shrugged her dainty shoulders. "I know. But I thought you should know now."

"But why? Why keep that secret to Helga if you knew she hated you? And if you knew I still liked you?"

"Because, Arnold. If I'm really honest with myself, and with you, I knew and still know now that the two of you are just perfect together."

I felt a hot blush creep up into my cheeks at her words.

Somebody else saw what I saw when I looked at us. And oddly enough... that person was Lila.

"I should be going." She said, her eyes lingering on mine before she turned around to leave once again, but ran into a someone I couldn't quite see. I heard her voice muffle out an "I'm just ever so sorry," But I couldn't catch the name of who it was she was apologizing to.

"What... just happened?" I asked myself quietly, completely perplexed.

I reached into my pocket to grab my lanyard and pick through my mess of keys before locating my flash drive. Absentmindedly, I flipped it around a few times, considering all that had happened because of this silly project; all that had been revealed. Here, in my hands, held both that project and my risky prom-posal that was once such a great idea and now was only making my life a living nightmare.

* * *

"Still no word from you-know-who?" Gerald asked as he sat down beside me on the bench by the cafeteria.

It looked like he had chosen the pizza option for today's lunch. It didn't take long for him to notice I hadn't chose anything. "You gunna eat today or what, Arnold?"

My eyes were focused on the flash drive I was fiddling with in my lap. "What?"

"Man, you have GOT to do something about this Pataki thing." He picked his pizza slice up and took a big bite, continuing to talk while he chewed. "Look at what she's doing to you."

"She's not doing anything to me, Gerald. I did this to myself."

"Did WHAT exactly?" He asked, now taking a few gulps of the sports drink he carried around on a regular basis. "I mean, from what YOU'VE told me, she blew the whole thing out of proportion without givin' you the chance to explain. How is that YOUR fault?"

"It's my fault because I should have just told her Lila was coming over to help me with...with something."

"Because THAT sounds less suspicious. Face it, Arnold. Until you tell her, consider yourself single."

I shoved the flash drive into my pocket and twisted my body to face Gerald while he continued to eat. "Not very helpful advice, Gerald."

"Well what do you want me to say? I'm just being honest."

"Do you think she'll say yes? To the prom thing?" I asked quietly, but Gerald shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know, man. This IS Helga G. Pataki we're talking about. Girl is unpredictable."

"I know." A smile tugging on my lips.

And while normally I loved how passionate, wild and unpredictable Helga was, in situations like the one I was in now- I could certainly use a little predictability.

"I'm gonna get going, Gerald. I think I'll just go home since I only have free period and college psych left for the day."

"But I thought you loved college psych? You feelin' okay, Arnold?" He reached up to mock take my temperature, but I swatted him away and stood up; grabbing my bag and slinging it over my shoulder.

"I'm fine, Gerald. Really. I'm just... not in the mood I guess."

"Well alright, man. I'll catch ya later." And with a pound and wiggle of our fingers, I turned on my heel and made my way slowly to the parking lot.

I wandered the halls, now empty since everybody was off eating their lunch and discussing today's latest teenage problems and gossip.

 _What am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to fix this?_ My thoughts wandered, dragging my feet along with each step that I took down the quiet halls to get to the door leading to the parking lot. I always found empty halls to be so... eerie. It allowed more time than usual for your thoughts to roam in places they didn't always belong.

Lila. Helga.

How complicated their relationship was and I'd never even known it. Here, Helga hated every thing Lila Sawyer did. Every step, every breath, every word that passed her lips (in her opinion) was always done against her and against us- but why?

Because after everything Lila just told me... it seemed that Helga didn't know Lila anymore than Rhonda knew Helga.

Seemed like we didn't know who anybody really was.

I drove home in complete silence- no radio or anything. My thoughts were louder than any jazz radio station I could find, but it didn't matter anyway because I wasn't even in the mood.

Yeah, I said it. I wasn't in the mood for music.

When I finally got home and walked into the familiar boarding house full of life and energy, I trudged my way to my room; ignoring all of they 'Heya Arnold! You're home early! How was school?'s and shutting my door to keep out the world.

Tossing my backpack onto the floor, I fell onto my bed with a loud sigh.

And then my phone buzzed.

 _-Cutting school, I see?_

It was just like Helga to know exactly what I was up to at any given moment.

 _-Guess so._

It was all I could manage, I didn't know what to say. I didn't even know why she was texting me in the first place considering how mad she was at me.

BUZZBUZZ

 _-So I've decided some things and I figured you and your stupid shaped head should know about them. Since they're about us and all._

She was acting weird... acting like how she'd acted before her feelings were all out in the open.

I didn't like it.

 _-Alright, so what have you decided?_

I stared at the screen of my phone, watching as the bubble at the bottom of our conversation told me she was typing.

Funny how Helga G. Pataki could make me so nervous.

- _Well, before I completely leave you to hang and dry for what you've done... Pheebs... and some other people... say its 'important I hear your side of the story.'_

BUZZBUZZ

Another message.

 _-That is, if you still want to tell me your side. If there IS a 'your side.'_

 _-Of course there's a my side. And it isn't what Rhonda said._

I was typing as fast as I could, not wanting her to think she didn't have my full attention. Because she had it.

She'd always have it.

 _-Yeah, yeah, yeah. Prove it. Tomorrow night. 7pm at my place._

A huge smile lit up my face.

BUZZBUZZ.

Another message?

- _And before you ask: I WILL be in school tomorrow. But don't even THINK about talking to me until 7. I'm still mad at you football-head._

My smile faded as I read the angry words in her message.

I wanted to defend myself; I wanted to tell her how wrong she was and how I would never cheat on her because that's just not who I was, but the time and place to do all that had already been decided.

Tomorrow. 7pm at her place.

I'd show her that Arnold Shortman is no cheater.

I'd show her that I was serious about our relationship.

I'd show her.

I'd show her.

Those thoughts ran in circles in my head. Even as I finished editing our class project and ate dinner silently at the dinner table, the thoughts wouldn't stop.

 _If Helga thought I cheated on her..._ one lone thought entered my head just as I was about to drift to sleep, _then she doesn't really know me. I don't know Lila. Rhonda doesn't know Helga. And Helga doesn't know me._

 _Does anyone ever TRULY know someone?_

I fell asleep that night while re-imagining every moment between Helga and I since pre-k. I pictured her, age 5- age 9- age 13- age 16 even far into the future at age 22 and age 30. I went all the way up to 50 and 70's. I imagined just what kind of life she'd have and the future that was held for Helga G. Pataki.

And the funny thing?

I was in every single picture of her. Every future she could possibly have... there I was.

I loved Helga. I'd finally realized that.

But I was ready for the world to know that too. I wasn't about to let one more day pass that my friends and classmates all didn't know my adoration for her.

And I was ready for Helga to believe it- to REALLY really believe it. I didn't want Helga to spend one more second of her life unsure of my love for her.

* * *

School was weird all day Thursday. I dazed through my classes until English came. Then I spent my work time silently watching Helga as she tapped away on her keyboard; feverishly typing the remainder of the paper that would be due soon.

Per her instructions however, I said nothing to her all day.

I Only watched.

Only waited.

So when school was out, I had eaten my dinner and booked it to Helga's house, I made it to her place at 7pm exactly; impatient for my chance to explain. Just as I was about to knock on her green door, a surge of adrenaline pumped through my blood; egging me on to bang my knuckles against the wood.

I knew what I was going to do.

 _Knock, knock, knock_ I rapped softly on the door, but it swung open almost immediately.

"7 right on the nose. Would you look at that."

"I couldn't wait."

She sighed and gestured for me to come in.

"Well, come on in, Hair Boy. You have some 'splaining to do."

I took the few steps to get inside of her house and she slammed door shut behind me.

 _Here goes everything._

* * *

 ** _So that was fun!_**

 ** _Only 2 more chapters left! :)_**

 ** _HEY! If you like what you're reading now, I would LOVE IT if you would go check out the other story I'm working on called, "Spanish 2 Was All For You"_**

 ** _It used to be a oneshot, then a two shot, and now I've updated it so it will be a full length, super awesome, most ambitious fanfic i have ever worked on so i would LOVE IT if you would go check it out and review it :)_**

 ** _love you all!_**

 ** _xoxo_**

 ** _Polkahotness_**


	9. Are You Ready, Helga?

_**Welcome to the next chapter! Only 1 more to go, so you get an extra long one this go around!**_

 _ **I'm gonna warn ya, there is some sexual content happening in this chapter, but it isn't detailed, only insinuated.**_

 _ **Anyway, enjoy! Review! Let me know what you think! :)**_

 _ **xox**_

 _ **Polkahotness**_

* * *

 **~Helga~**

I closed the car door behind me as I stepped out and made my way inside my house. I was tired of mindlessly driving when I needed to sit down and figure out what I was going to do about Arnold.

"Football-headed freak wants to act like this, huh? Wants to lie to me and break my heart? CRIMINY!" I stomped my way up the stairs to go to my room, completely ignoring my snoaring mother on the couch.

Once I reached my room, I slammed the door behind me and took a few steps only to crumple and sit on the open floor of my bedroom. "I don't know what to do." I admitted to myself; pulling out my phone from my pocket and turning it on so I could look at the picture on my phone's background screen.

It was this goofy picture of Arnold and I; we'd taken it this summer at a beach a town over. Our smiles were big, genuine. One look at this picture and you could tell it's two subjects were absolutely head-over-heels for each other.

I had this picture as my background not just because it was a great picture of us, but because it reminded me how Arnold felt about me. The look in his gorgeous green eyes as he looked at me in the picture showed nothing but adoration and love for me. It was my proof that no matter how we had to act at school, what lies Rhonda spread or what anyone else believed- Arnold loved me. REALLY loved me.

And yet, as I looked at this picture now, I didn't feel anything but hurt. Hurt that it was all ending after it only just began. Hurt that Arnold could hurt me in such a way. Hurt that the beautiful football-headed lover I had come to trust with everything- even my life -had let me down and chosen somebody else the way I always feared he would.

So I cried.

I cried long and hard. I heaved my shoulders and sobbed; completely broken and falling apart at pain I felt in my heart.

There was a soft knock at my bedroom door.

"H-Helga?" My mom stuttered out, and I sniffled hard trying to stop my constant tears but had little success.

"Now... n-now's not th-th-the t-time, Miriam."

"Are... Are you okay, honey?" She asked again.

And as much as I wanted to scream at her to leave; to tell her to buzz-off and mind her own beeswax... that Helga was gone right now.

"N-No...!" I sobbed into my hands, the door flinging open so Miriam could rush to my side.

"Oh honey! Helga, honey, what happened?" She asked as she moved to sit on the floor beside me; wrapping her arms around me to gently stroke her fingers through my hair.

"I...I..."

"Is this about that boy you've been seeing? The one who you've liked since you were younger?"

I pushed myself out of her arms and looked at her; my crying suddenly stopped.

"What? Ho-How do you know about that?" I asked, my words in complete shock.

"Oh Helga, you don't really think I'm that clueless honey- do you?"

I stared at her, my eyes wide.

"How long?"

She tapped her chin thoughtfully as she tried to remember just how long she knew my secret. "Let's see here... I think it was... oh gosh, it had to have been a few years ago now. I think you were twelve?"

 _Oh my God._

"T-twelve?"

"Mmhm. I found that cute little shrine of yours when I was putting away your laundry one day. You were always so creative, Helga. I just couldn't help myself but look at it."

If I wasn't so hurt right now, I could have killed her for looking at my stuff.

Instead, I stayed frozen.

"Anyway, is it about him, honey?"

I sighed and looked down at my hands. "Y-yeah."

"Oh sweetie. Breaking up is never easy. I remember when B and I first started going together..." her voice trailed off for a moment, her thoughts in another time when life had been easier. "We must have broken up a dozen times. He was always so angry when you've known him, your father. But B used to be so sweet... so affectionate. And I was always the stubborn one- demanding my independence. But we loved each other, and we always ended up back together." She shrugged her shoulders, an air of hurt still surrounding her as she spoke. "Maybe not this time we won't... but he's just so angry now. I'll never know what made B so angry."

"How do you not hate him? I mean... listen to you! You sound like you're still practically in love with the guy! Dad CHEATED on you! It's YOU who should be angry."

"I still love him, Helga. It's your father I don't love. It's him I'm angry at."

"You lost me."

"I love who he used to be, Helga. Before he got so angry. I love the B I married and spent years with all throughout High School. But life changes you. And soon B wasn't B anymore... he was Dad and Daddy. He was yours and Olga's father, not my husband. He started his beeper emporium and then his cellphone company and... and it just made him angry. I don't know."

This was the most Mom had ever talked to me about her and Big Bob. Heck, this was the most Miriam had talked to me about ANYTHING for years now.

I couldn't smell the overpowering scent of alcohol that usually plagued her and her clothes, so I knew she hadn't had anything to drink yet today. She must have been sleeping this whole time.

I didn't get many opportunities to talk to my mom when she was sober. She was only sober right after waking up sometimes when she'd slept for over 8 hours or so. Sure, she was kinda hungover, but her mind was clear and for brief moments (moments I didn't care to admit that I cherished) she was my mom.

"So you mean to tell me that if Bob were to waltz on in here and ask for you to take him back and he was SO sorry about cheating on you and all that- you'd take him back?"

"I'd listen to what he had to say and then yeah, maybe I would."

"But what is even the POINT of hearing his side of the story if you already know he's cheated?"

"That's the thing Helga, I don't."

"Are you KIDDING me, mom? We have proof of him getting rent-a-cars and hotel rooms and fancy dinners AND there was that picture he posted to his business page on accident with that girl and-"

"Helga. None of those are definite proof he cheated. He still has his side of the story and I wouldn't be fair to him or myself if I didn't hear what he had to say."

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard." I said with a sniffle and wiped my nose with my arm.

Miriam pushed herself up to stand and stumble her way out the door of my room. "I'm going to go make a smoothie, but if you want to talk Helga, I'll just be right downstairs, okay honey?"

I frowned.

There goes mom.

"Yeah, sure Miriam."

Once the door was shut and I was alone in my room again, I reached over for my phone that I had dropped amid my sob-session and pulled up Phoebe's name to text her.

- _Hey Pheebs, I got a favor to ask..._

* * *

"I'm not so sure this is the best idea, Helga." Phoebe said over the phone while I tossed a ball in the air and caught it continuously while I lay on my bed.

"C'mon, Pheebs. It's like... the easiest thing you could do for me. A cinch, really. Piece of cake."

"I just don't think spying on Arnold is the most effective way of solving your problems with him. Why not simply hear his side of the story and go from there?"

"Because, Phoebe," I said firmly; catching the ball and sitting up slightly as I talked, "I want to know what he's doing BEFORE he tells me so I know if he's lying."

"Why don't you trust him? Relationships are built on mutual trust from both parties, Helga. If you can't trust him, perhaps the two of you need to work on your relationship."

I rolled my eyes and lay back down, tossing the ball up and catching it again. "I DO trust him. It's that _Li_ la I don't trust."

Phoebe sighed into the phone. "Helga, when will this animosity towards Lila end for you? You've been with Arnold for a while now. I think it's safe to say, as you would put it, 'you've won.'"

"Yeah, well not anymore. We broke up. Or...well...I broke up with him."

"That seems like a rather dramatic and rash decision, don't you think?"

"Who's side are you ON, Phoebe?"

"I'm on yours, Helga. You know that. I just find it rather... odd that you would dump Arnold so easily. For years now all you've talked about is your undying love and devotion to him."

"Yeah. So?"

"So if it was all really true and you DID love him that much, why throw it all away at a probable rumor Rhonda Wellington Lloyd said was fact? Who do you really believe? Rhonda, or Arnold?"

"But Arnold ADMITTED Lila came over. He even confirmed that she came into his room by the FIRE ESCAPE! That's OUR thing!"

"Yes, but does it really sound like Arnold to cheat? Especially with someone he knows your distaste for?"

Phoebe was striking a chord with me. I was growing angry.

"He's loved that girl since the fourth grade!"

"And is Arnold the same person he was in fourth grade? Do you think Arnold is that same 9 year-old boy, even at age 16?"

"Well... no, but-"

"If you look at the facts of the matter and think about the character of Arnold and everything you know and love about him... Well I would think the answer is clear."

I rolled over to lay on my stomach and drop the ball to the ground; watching it roll to the corner of my room.

"What's your point."

"My point is that you should listen to Arnold. At least give him a chance to explain himself. And then, if you still truly believe he's done wrong by you- then you can choose which ever decision you feel you need to make."

"So I should hear his side of the story?"

"I believe so, yes."

I chewed on my lip for a moment before sighing and going limp as I lay on my bed. "Fine. But will you still do the spying thing for me? Just for my own piece of mind?"

Phoebe jostled the phone for a moment, a door closing in the background as she answered. "Sure, Helga. I suppose I could do that."

"Great. Call me tomorrow with the update!"

I hit the end call button and dropped my phone to the ground; it making a muffled THUMP as it hit the carpet.

Even after all of Phoebe's advice, I still couldn't get that image of Lila climbing into his room out of my head.

 _Lila. Of all people. CLIMBING into someone's window? Criminy. That's one I'd love to see for myself._

"That's it!" I said aloud as I sat straight up on my bed. "I'll go to Arnold's house and hide so he can't see me, and WATCH Lila sneak into his room. Then I can watch and see if any FUNNY business goes on."

It was brilliant.

I changed my clothes into all black so I could easily disguise myself into the shadows of the ally way that was just outside the Sunset Arms Boarding House, and I watched.

It was chilly outside- the wind was stronger than I had expected -and I was starting to regret not bringing a coat or something to combat me from the cold.

"Come ON football-head. Where is she?" I whispered to myself.

He'd been sitting in his room for about an hour now, and all the kid had done was sit on his laptop working on some video. At first, I assumed it was our Romeo and Juliet project, but when I brought the binoculars up to my eyes to get a better look, I could see that the only thing on the screen was him. He was watching himself talk to the camera?

By the time 9 o'clock rolled around and Arnold finally shut his lights off (which was weird considering he didn't usually go to bed until eleven most nights), Lila had never shown her face.

This wasn't good.

I mean it was GOOD because that meant the odds of Rhonda's story being a lie were getting better and better, but it wasn't what I was expecting.

I was starting to feel like I may have, possibly... overreacted.

But there was still tomorrow. Phoebe had agreed to watch for Arnold and Lila at the nook. And since I wasn't planning on showing my face at school tomorrow since I was in NO MOOD to deal with all the people who would undoubtedly give me shit all day due to Rhonda's flapping gossip lips, I figured Arnold would meet her again since he would think I wasn't watching.

But I'd be watching alright.

Through the power of Phoebe, I'd be watching.

* * *

Phoebe came over to my house the next day, earlier than I had expected too- around 11:30. She normally left school right before lunch, seeing as most of her classes were college courses and didn't require her to hang around Hillwood High all that much. I anxiously awaited at the door for news on what all she'd seen while spying on Arnold and Lila.

Needless to say, her news was less than what I expected.

"Nothing happened, Helga."

"What? You're kidding, right?"

"No, I'm not. The only... unusual thing, was that they met earlier than free period. It was only by chance that I saw them there. Besides, all they did was talk."

"Did they hug? Or...or touch?"

Phoebe seemed to find that question entertaining because she smirked and talked through a small chuckle. "Quite the contrary, actually."

"What's THAT supposed to mean?"

"I think you've misjudged Lila. The things she was saying to Arnold, from what I _heard_ that is-"

"What? What did she say? That she loved him? Did she talk about their secret affair?"

"Helga! No!" Phoebe was irritated, which didn't happen very often. I shut my mouth so I could let her finish. "Based on their body language, I believe the two were simply having a conversation, one based on something besides emotion. I didn't quite hear everything because they were speaking quietly, but I can assure you that nothing happened."

"Well... did they see you?" I asked in a small voice.

"I don't believe so. Although, Lila did bump into me while she was walking back to class. I don't think Arnold saw me though."

"Good. Good." I repeated, for lack of a better word.

"Is there anything else, Helga?" She asked, a slight edge of annoyance in her tone.

"No, I guess not, Pheebs. Thanks."

"You seem disappointed. Is something wrong? Shouldn't this information make you happy?"

I shook my head. "No, it does. It just means..." I sighed. "I screwed up. And not just MINORLY screwed up I mean BIG time screwed up. How will I ever get Arnold to forgive me?"

Phoebe smiled, her expression sympathetic to my self-induced plight. "I suppose talk to him? As I said before, once he gives his side of the story, perhaps everything will make sense."

"But he said he can't tell me. All he'll tell me is that I have to trust him and-"

"And you can't." It was more a statement than a question.

"I guess I'm scared to."

"Helga, it's natural to be scared when entering a serious relationship. The two of you have known each other all your lives, and to suddenly intertwine them into one life is a difficult thing to do. But it's all part of growing up. You'll have to do it eventually, whether it were Arnold or not, one day you would have to face the fear of loving someone... and having them love you back."

"But Arnold's love is everything I've ever wanted. Why am I so scared?" I asked, my heart racing from fear at what I had just come to terms with.

"Because, while I highly doubt Arnold cheated on you- only based on what I observed today from the two of them, the possibility that Arnold cheated on you is still there. And losing him, once you have him, is your biggest fear. Isn't it?"

"Guess you're right." I mumbled, wringing my hands together as I focused on the way my skin folded with each wring.

"Why don't you tell Arnold to meet you tomorrow, after school? That will give you the whole day to think about what you want to say to him. I'm sure he'll understand."

"You think?"

Phoebe gave me a thumbs up with a nod. "I do, Helga."

"Thanks again, Pheebs. I'll... I'll ask him to talk tomorrow."

She turned around to leave my house in pursuit of her own, but paused at the doorway. "And Helga?"

"Yeah, Phoebe?"

"Try not to be so mean to him. I know it's your defense mechanism to retort back to angry and a tough exterior, but maybe it's time you let that side of you go. Afterall, it isn't you anymore. Is it?"

Her words lingered with me long after she left.

Haunted me, you could say.

Was I that person anymore? Had I really changed?

I didn't feel like I had.

I tried to look at myself from an objective point of view- to see myself for just a person instead of an identity.

I knew who I WANTED to be. I knew who the INSIDE Helga was.

Funny. Sarcastic. Poetic. Romantic. In love with the boy she'd adored all her life. Loyal. Loving. Independent. Strong. Motivated. Smart.

I knew I was all these things, no doubt.

But I also knew what it was I'd shown the world most of my life.

Mean. Rude. Manner-less. Uncaring. Cold-Hearted. Unloveable.

A bully.

Who knew if Arnold really REALLY knew who that person was that hid underneath my tough exterior.

With all of my thoughts trying to be sorted through and deciphered, it wasn't long before I found myself walking down the sidewalk; kicking a small rock ahead of me with my every step.

I liked taking walks in the early Autumn. The way the world around me smelled like leaves and earth itself made me feel inspired and new- something I didn't feel often.

Arnold never lived that far away from me. The Sunset Arms Boarding House was only a few blocks from my place, which was why it was so easy growing up to practically stalk the kid.

Not one of my strongest points, I'll give you that.

I looked up to the sun roof where I noticed Arnold was standing. I pulled out my phone and glanced at the clock.

 _12:02? Really? The kid was skipping school!_

THAT was unlike him.

With a sigh and a smirk, I pulled up his name and sent him a nervous text.

 _-Cutting school, I see?_

It didn't take long for him to respond.

- _Guess so._

Wasn't like Arnold to send two word messages to me.

I frowned, typing him another message.

 _-So I've decided some things and I figured you and your stupid-shaped-head should know about them. Since they're about us and all._

As much as I WANTED to break down that wall of self-defense Phoebe was always lecturing about, I just couldn't seem to do it. The words came out angry, despite my best intentions. But my heart still hurt. And I wasn't about to let him get off the hook so easily without a damn good explanation.

Which I decided, I should give him the chance to give me.

Sure, I may have screwed up and broken up with him because I overreacted, but I wasn't about to ADMIT that I screwed up.

Like he'd ever let me live THAT down.

 _-Alright, so what have you decided?_

His message read.

I thought for a moment, compiling what it was I had decided into a sentence and sent it off for him to read.

 _-Well, before I completely leave you to hang and dry for what you've done... Pheebs_

I thought for a moment, my own Mother's words coming back to resound in my head. I added to my message.

 _-...and some other people... say it's 'important I hear your side of the story."_

I hit send and then quickly typed another message.

 _-That is, if you still want to tell me your side. If there IS a 'your side.'_

After all I'd done to him so far, I wouldn't be surprised if he never wanted a thing to do with me anymore.

But he replied immediately.

 _-Of course there's a my side. And it isn't what Rhonda said._

He was still defensive, which was good I guessed.

Meant he still wanted to be with me. And I wasn't about to turn that down.

 _-Yeah, yeah, yeah. Prove it. Tomorrow. 7pm at my place._

I chewed my lip for a moment before adding one more message.

 _-And before you ask: I WILL be in school tomorrow. But don't even THINK about talking to me until 7. I'm still mad at you, football-head._

I hit send again and turned my phone off, then sliding it into my pocket in one fluid movement.

"Good. If he doesn't try and talk to me all day... that'll give me time to figure out just what it is that I'm GONNA say. Criminy." I grumbled to myself as I returned home and climbed up my stairs to once again hide in my room.

* * *

Arnold stared at me all day.

And when I say all day, I mean LITERALLY all day.

I must have caught him over ten times within the first five minutes of English class.

I smirked to myself and wondered if this was what it had been like all throughout elementary school for him.

Karma's a bitch, I guess.

Even if I kinda liked knowing I had Arnold's attention all day, I was still mad.

I still wanted an explanation.

Cheating or no cheating, he was still seeing Lila and kept it a secret from me. And as far as _I_ was concerned, that was cause enough to be mad.

Although, the weird thing about the whole deal?

Not a single person said a word to me about Arnold. Not one. Which only meant one thing:

Rhonda hadn't told.

Why hadn't she told?

The rest of the day went by like a breeze, even if my thoughts were going mad inside my head. I found myself becoming anxious for 7 o'clock.

So anxious, that by the time school was done, I practically raced home so I could resort to sitting by the window in my living room to look for his very noticeable football-head as it approached my house.

I'd told Miriam to scram for the night- Olga offered for her to come over and spend some time in her new apartment uptown.

I would have to remember not to hate Olga QUITE so much next time she got on my nerves.

Sure enough, as soon as 7pm turned on the digital clock, I heard 3 soft knocks on my front door.

 _Showtime..._ I thought, as I slowly opened the door to see Arnold looking up at me from the stoop.

"7 right on the nose." I said, a small smile on my face. "Would you look at that."

"I couldn't wait."

Managing a sigh, I gestured with my right arm for him to come inside. "Well, come on in Hair Boy. You've got some 'splaining to do." Once the door was shut behind him, I made my way up the stairs to my room.

"Uh... where are we going?"

"My room, doi. You really think I wanna do this out here?" I asked, his footsteps soon following me up to where I was headed.

"But... there's no one home?" He asked, clearly confused by the concept.

"No shit, Sherlock. Any other obvious things you would like to point out before we get this show on the road?"

He entered my still childlike room and looked around momentarily before shutting the door behind him; enclosing us in the small space I had grown up in.

"The show being where I get my chance to explain?"

"What's there to explain, Arnold?" I asked, semi-serious. "I think the facts of the case are pretty much out there."

"All you know is that Lila came over to my house a few times and we met during school to talk."

"Yeah. The two of you met at the NOOK which is OUR place for meeting and she came into YOUR room via FIRE ESCAPE. And I don't think I need to explain why that seems just a titch suspicious to me."

Arnold crossed his arms over his chest while he looked at me. "First of all, the nook is a public place- plenty of people meet there during class. Second, you and I both know we mainly use the fire escape because-"

"We want to hide our relationship from people. Yeah, I think I know."

"At first, yea. But when Grandpa found out last month and I told him what was going on... why did you continue to enter that way?"

I frowned.

 _He was right._

"Because... because it was more fun?" I tried, but with no success.

"No. Because the boarders all go to sleep early and I was tired of the complaints every morning about the door waking everybody up."

"R-right. And then-"

"And then you started coming over EARLIER, still by the fire escape, because you're stubborn."

"You didn't tell me your grandpa knew."

"Yea, I did, Helga."

"No you didn't."

"Helga..."

I gave up.

"FINE. But what's with the nook? And the more and MOST important question- why meet her AT ALL? And then NOT tell me?"

"Because... it's kind of on a need-to-know basis."

I snorted a laugh. "Do you even HEAR yourself? How am I supposed to believe you if you can't even tell me what you were doing?"

"Because you have to trust me."

"Why?"

"Because that's what people do in relationships. And if I tell you that you should trust me and you'll find out eventually and it won't be this bad horrible thing you THINK it is... then you should believe me."

"I should just... BELIEVE you're not cheating on me? Really? Why?"

"Because it's not like me? And because I love you."

"Arnold..."

"I'm telling you RIGHT now that I love you, and you won't even say it back. I KNOW you love me. What are you afraid of?"

"I'm... I'm n-not afraid I'm just..."

"Look me in the eyes and tell me you HONESTLY, truly, with ALL YOUR HEART think that I'm cheating on you."

"I-I-" I tried, my eyes trying to look into his but he was right.

I couldn't. "I...can't." I settled, suddenly feeling ashamed that I allowed such a silly thing to escalate so far.

He took a few steps towards me, and I would have stepped back, but my bed was directly behind me.

Instead, I fell onto the bed, watching as he continued towards me.

He knelt down to look at me directly in my eyes, and reach out to take my hands. "How can I show you I love you?" He asked earnestly, but I had no answer for him.

"I don't know..." I croaked out, my eyes still focused on his.

His hand reached up to touch my cheek. The nerve endings under my skin went crazy and blood rushed up to my cheeks.

"I don't love Lila."

"But you did once." I countered, my words trembling.

"But I don't anymore." His voice was soft but full of this... vulnerability I'd never seen in him before.

He was baring his heart to me.

 _Oh..._ I internally swooned.

"You're... you..."

"Why don't you think I love you, Helga?" His eyes were hurt as they looked at me.

"It's not THAT, it's Lila. She's-"

"SHE'S not the problem, it isn't Lila and you know it. This has nothing to do with Lila."

"This has EVERYTHING to do with Lila! It always has! My whole STINKIN' life she's been RIGHT THERE stealing your affections, getting everyone to fall in love with her. The girl is a viper! That little-miss-perfect-"

"Protected your secret ever since you told her. Ever since fourth grade."

 _What did he just say? How did he know that?_

"So... s-so what? I threatened her life!"

"I talked to Lila today." He said softly, and looked away from me while dropping his hand from my face. "She told me... well she told me something I think you need to hear."

"Oh really? And what could THAT be?"

"That she likes me. You were right about that."

"Exactly. Now if you would just-"

He wouldn't let me finish. He had an agenda.

"But do you want to know what she said?"

"Not particularly." Even though I really did.

Thankfully, he kept going. "She said she never acted on it all these years because he made a PROMISE to you."

"The only thing she ever promised me was that she wouldn't tell anyone. What the hell promise is she talking about?"

"The one where she told herself that, and I quote, as long as she could see the look in your eyes that said you still loved me she would never act on any feelings she may develop, end quote."

I sat in front of him, completely stunned at what he had just revealed to me.

"She even said that she LIKES us together. If she likes us together, Helga, why would she break us up?"

I stayed silent, not wanting to admit defeat. But Arnold was determined.

"So TELL me, Helga." He said after moment. "Why don't you believe me when I say I love you? Why do you think I'm incapable of really loving you the way I know you love me?"

"Because... because you aren't there yet. You haven't loved me as long as I've loved you."

"And that must mean that my feelings for you aren't as strong as yours for me?" He raised his brow as he awaited my answer.

"Uh.. yeah." I finally replied, but he was smiling.

 _Why was he smiling?_

"Well I'm here to tell you, Helga G. Pataki, that you're wrong. Not just about me cheating on you, but about how I feel. You don't know how I feel."

I huffed and crossed my arms as he stood up to sit beside me on my bed, his focus still on me. "Fine. I don't know how you feel. Then tell me how you feel. REALLY tell me, before I... before I change my mind and kick you out of my room."

I could see he was still smiling, even though I stubbornly refused to look in his direction.

"Helga." His voice was controlled, as if he'd been waiting to say these particular set of words to me for ages. "My whole life, you've been absolutely horrible to me."

"Well this is a good start." I mumbled, but turned my attention towards him as he talked.

"But scattered throughout our lives together, there's been these... moments, where you're exactly who I know you are."

"And just who is that?" I asked, my curiosity peaked.

"A smart, funny, talented and caring individual who lacks the confidence she puts out for the world to see. Inside," he pointed to my chest where my heart was beating rapidly beneath, "inside is someone who is just as scared of the world around them as I am."

"I'm not SCARED,"

"Yes, you are."

"NO, I'm not, Arnold."

He sighed, reaching up to take my face and hold it in his kind hands. "Yes, Helga. You are."

Tears were pooling in my eyes as we looked at each other.

 _Criminy... he was so much smarter than I'd ever given him credit for..._

"The only thing I'm scared of..." I began slowly, thinking through each word before it left my lips, "is losing you." I smirked at my words. "Sheesh, that sounds so corny."

"Not at all." _That face... he looked at me with, with such compassion. Such understanding._

"Arnold?" I reached up to touch his hand as it continued to cup my face.

"Yea?"

"I love you. More than you'll ever know."

He shook his head minimally, his eyes still locked on mine. "I do know, Helga. It's you who'll never know how much I love you."

His lips found mine then, kissing me softly- intentionally taking his time with each moment our lips spent pressed against each other. I could feel tears gliding down my cheek, even though there was nothing I felt sad about anymore.

Here in my room with Arnold's lips moving against mine, here in this moment I knew, without a doubt that Arnold loved me.

The way his eyes had bore into mine, the way he told me his feelings so... so openly had melted any fears or insecurities I had about where we were headed in our relationship.

As he continued to kiss me, our bodies craving the others'. It was with every heated touch and fumbling hand that I knew he adored me.

When he gently pulled my shirt up and over my head, and I his, it was the way he looked at me that made me know he worshipped everything that I was.

Soon, our bodies were naked and trembling as we looked at each other for all we were and all we would ever be- two people who loved each other, truly loved each other.

I licked my lip and bit it nervously. "I... I'm scared." I barely whispered, his body now pressed against mine while we lay on my bed.

"Do you want to stop?" He asked, his breathing labored while he looked down to me laying underneath him.

"No. It's just... I thought you weren't ready."

He smiled for a moment. "I wanted to make sure that when I did... when we did... that it would mean something. That it... it would be special. That you knew I loved you and I knew you loved me."

"But, it's just a Thursday! And...and I'm not about to let you lose your virginity because we just got done fighting a-and then tomorrow would roll around and you'd be all mad because you wasted it all on make-up se-"

"Helga. Stop talking." He said, overlapping my rambling.

I raised an eyebrow at him, my body still trembling under his. "Are you sure, Arnold?"

"That I love you?"

"That you're ready." My arms wrapped around him so I could gently touch at the skin on his back; it feeling warm against my cool fingertips.

He nodded his head, gently reaching up to stroke my cheek for a moment before giving in to what our bodies were screaming for us to do.

It was awkward.

It was messy.

It was disjointed.

There were 'oops's and 'ouch's and 'I don't like that's galore. Every nervous laugh, gentle kiss and soft moan only fueled our bodies to move more in sync with each other. Each motion flowed into the next; the only things between us were passion, fear, trust, vulnerability.

But most of all: love.

Each movement we made felt like puzzle pieces fitting together. Each touch was ecstasy against my skin. Every whimper and every heavy breath- only another exclamation of our love for each other.

My whole life I'd wanted to be noticed, especially by Arnold. I'd longed for the moment where he would finally know my true feelings for him and that one day, he would return them- or at least not reject them.

And here we were, giving each other the most sacred of things- our entire souls. We were doing more than just having sex; we were making love.

I gave into him.

I lived for him.

I wanted him to feel what I felt and know what I knew. He wanted me to let go of my fears and give in to everything he'd always known me to be. My soul nearly lifted from my body and flew into heavens it was so glorious.

And when it was over, I lay absolutely content in his arms. I was completely enamored by what we had just done and what we had just psychically expressed to each other. It was weird that I still found myself scared of so many things; scared of all of the possibilities that the door of our relationship had just opened to us.

But as he softly kissed the top of my head and I snuggled into his side with his warm arms wrapped tightly around me, I knew I wouldn't have much to fear if I had Arnold by my side.

"I love you, Helga." He whispered while we recovered beside each other, our bodies still writhing in complete bliss.

"I love you too, Arnold." I smiled, the words coming effortlessly out of my mouth.

He knew.

I knew.

We knew.

I sat up suddenly in the bed and hopped off to run to my dresser and find my pink journal full of words.

"What are you doing?" Arnold asked from where he remained under the covers in the bed. He cocked his head to the side as he watched my bare body rummage through the drawers in an effort to find it.

"I'm looking for something." I answered absentmindedly.

"That's pretty obvious." He smirked, observing quietly while I located it and began to thumb through the pages.

Finding a blank page, I grabbed the nearest pen (they were littered all over my room) and began scribbling words down on the empty sheet of paper.

"Helga?"

"Shh..." I softly shushed him and continued to write as fast as my hand would allow.

Arnold watched silently which allowed me finish my word fury within a couple minutes. When I was done, I shut the book and set it down to walk back to the bed and flop down on it stomach first. I looked up at Arnold with a smile.

"What was that about?"

"Just writing."

"What exactly were you writing?" He asked with curious eyes.

I shrugged and buried my head in the mussed sheets. "Words."

I felt his warm hands touch at my back, then pull me up to rest on his chest while he looked down on me. "When will you let me read the things you write?" He asked quietly while his fingers gently combed through my hair.

"Not likely, football-head."

"I'm serious. I'd... I'd really like to read what you write."

I twisted to look up at him and pursed my lips for a moment in thought. "It's nothing special."

"That's not what all the teachers say."

"Pssh. They just do that cause that's their JOB."

He shook his head while redirecting his gaze to look out passed me, focusing his eyes on nothing in particular. "They're the only ones you let read what you write. Why?"

I shrugged, suddenly feeling exposed by his observations. "Because what I write are usually assignments? I don't know, Arnold. It's just writing."

"So then what were you writing about? Just now?" He asked again, and I sighed; soon shutting my eyes.

"I wanted to remember this moment. I wanted to remember what I was feeling. So I wrote it down. Big whoop."

"Can I read it then?"

"No." I said flatly, my eyes remaining softly shut.

A full minute of silence went by. I opened one eye to look up at Arnold.

"Yes?" He asked, taking note of my look at him.

"So maybe I show you." I began, finally opening the other eye to look at him completely while I talked. "Then what?"

"Then I read what it is you wrote."

"And if you hate it?" I bit my lip nervously.

But he smiled. "Not a chance."

With a huff, I pushed myself up from the bed and made my way back to where I left my journal. I turned around to face him with one hand on my naked hip and the other holding the journal out towards him. "Gotta come and get it though."

He raised his eyebrow at me. "Oh really?"

"Did I stutter?" I asked, a wicked smirk on my face.

He grinned and crawled on the bed towards me only to reach out and take hold of the journal I was teasing him with. Slowly leaning up, he pressed his lips softly to mine and pulled the journal away from me. With a soft laugh, he returned to where he had been seated previously and opened the worn journal that held so many of my girlish secrets.

With a quiet sigh, I carefully sat down at the foot of the bed and turned my body so my back was to him. I didn't want to see his facial expression.

After a few minutes, he set the book down on my bedside table and moved so he could wrap his arms around me from behind. "Has anyone ever told you that you have an amazing talent for words?" He whispered in my ear.

I shuddered at his cool breath as it hit my flushed skin. "Maybe a few times..."

He nodded in the crook of my shoulder. "Well, that would be an understatement."

I turned to face him. "Really?"

"That was amazing, Helga." He shook his head in bewilderment. "I'm speechless."

"Did you read-"

"I just read what you wrote now. I promise." I smiled.

 _He's so thoughtful... so courteous... so wonderful..._

"But, I just want to throw this out there... I'll read whatever you write any day."

"You're serious."

"Very. It was amazing, Helga. Truly."

I quickly pecked his lips. "Well gee, thanks Hair Boy." I shot him a wink and then lightly nudged his shoulder with mine. "You gotta go."

"You're kicking me out?" He said with a mild pout.

"Miriam will be home any minute now. It's almost ten you know."

"And if I wanted to stay?" He asked with a glimmer in his eyes and a smirk on his lips.

"What? You're gonna turn into some sex fiend now or something?" I teased while he stood up and began putting his clothes on.

"Only if you'll let me." He winked and I felt my body explode in tinglies that made me feel numb.

"O-okay..." I managed, but his laugh was cut off by the sound of the front door unlocking, opening and closing followed by:

"Helga? Honey, are you home?"

I rolled my eyes and moved to grab at my clothes and grumpily pull them onto my body. "Yeah, yeah Miriam. I'm in my room- I'll be right down."

I nudged at Arnold to hurry up as Miriam kept talking.

"I'll just come right up."

"What? NO!" I screamed, now alarmed while I zipped my jeans up and sloppily threw on my shirt. "I uh... I have someone over."

"Oh, you do?" She asked, her footsteps growing louder as they made their way up the stairs.

Arnold and I scurried around the room trying to tidy up the bed sheets and strategically set books around to make it look like we had been studying.

Suddenly, the door knob was turning and Miriam who didn't look too sloshed, was smiling as she looked into the room.

"Who's your little friend here, Helga?" She asked, despite the fact that I knew she knew damn well who was sitting on my bed.

"This is Arnold mom. You know Arnold."

"Hi Miriam. Nice to see you again." He said without missing a beat. _Kid was good._ I thought to myself.

"Yes, yeah. Nice to uh-to see you again." She winked my way, but I heard Arnold quietly chuckle behind me which only meant he saw it too.

I wanted to turn around and thump him.

And then kiss him.

And then...

"I'll just leave you kids to it." She said after a moment, turning around to shut the door behind her. "If you need anything Helga, I'll be down here." her voice was muffled as she made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen where it didn't take too long before the overpowering sounds of her trusty blender filled the house.

I cleared my throat.

"Still want me to go?" Arnold asked for me and I shrugged.

"Guess you don't have to now."

"Well, do you wanna go get something to eat?"

"Arnold. It's ten. Where are we gonna go?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Wherever. Anywhere."

"Anywhere huh?"

"Anywhere."

"And THEN what, smart guy?"

He leaned in to kiss my cheek softly before making his way to hover over my lips. "Whatever you want."

I nodded my head slowly, staring at him stunned. _Who WAS this?_ "Yeah...uh, alright." I breathed out.

Quickly, he kissed my lips and then stood up off of the bed and offered out his hand to me. "You ready, Helga?"

It was a loaded question, maybe not to him but it was to me.

I studied his hand for a moment as it remained outstretched ready for me to take it.

 _Am I ready?_ I wondered to myself. _Ready for Rhonda and Harold and for everyone else? Ready to let the Lila thing go? Ready to let everything I was mere hours ago go and follow this boy, this boy I've loved my entire life, in whatever journeys may lay ahead. Good and bad? Thick and thin?_

It wasn't a marriage vow, it was just a hand offering to take me out for the night. But no matte what it was, I took it regardless and smiled as I laced my fingers with his and stepped up from where I sat on the bed to stand beside Arnold.

"Been ready for a while, football-head."


	10. Romeo and Juliet 2-Point-0

**_Giant chapter for a giant ending to an awesome fic (if i do say so myself;))_**

 ** _It's been SO FUN writing this and exploring all those similarities between Romeo and Juliet/Arnold and Helga that I've always oozed over since they first aired the "School Play" episode :)_**

 ** _Please review and enjoy!_**

 ** _SHAMELESS PLUG: If you liked this, go check out my next fic: "Spanish 2 Was All For You" I really think it will be my best fic to date._**

 ** _It isn't too far in yet, but I update regularly and I have the WHOLE STORY mapped out so I won't stop updating or anything until its done ;)_**

 ** _Personally, i think it is a really different story than a lot of things I've read and seen, so give it a look/read/review/subscribe! it needs some love :)_**

 ** _enjoy!_**

* * *

 _Holy hell. Had yesterday happened?_ The whole thing seemed like such a blur. I rolled over in my bed, my sheets a mess. Reaching over for my phone, I saw that I had woken up mere minutes before my alarm was set to go off.

I hated when that happened.

But a message popped up on my phone that made the whole morning worth it.

 _-Good morning, beautiful_

Oh yeah, I could get used to that.

Dressing myself in a hurry, I rushed out of the house without eating and made my way to my car. After turning it on and letting the engine run for a few seconds, I sped away in the direction of Hillwood High with one thing on my mind.

Arnold.

I couldn't wait to see Arnold.

Even if we DID have to pretend we'd broken up but had never been dating before.

The lie was getting complicated.

Friday was full of the kind of commotion you would think it'd be filled with. Not to mention, we were about to have a 3 day weekend and everyone was pretty psyched up about it. In fact, if you were to eavesdrop on any given group of friends, you would hear them planning their big trips to the city for shopping or for band shows or anything else one could do with an extra day off from school.

Making my way towards my first class of the day, a college philosophy class, I saw him.

Nobody knew any better to look at the two of us as we exchanged a smile and a nod. Nobody knew any different than what we had decided to show everyone. We were safe.

I spent most of my class time doodling in my notebook. I must have drawn countless spirals and made endless hearts all over the page in lieu of taking notes.

Finally, FINALLY English rolled around and I couldn't get to the classroom any faster. I was one of the first people in the damn doorway.

Arnold was, oddly enough, already there. But he was over talking to Mrs. Otten, and I was immediately intercepted by Rhonda once I stepped through the doorway.

"Helga? Helga, I have to talk to you." She nearly ran up to me and I stumbled to a stop.

"Uh, alright Princess. What's so damn important?" I crossed my arms as she blocked me from moving any further or taking any more steps towards my desk.

"You see, I was thinking all day yesterday-"

"That's surprising. You okay?" I retorted with a smirk, but she shot me a glare.

"I'm trying to say something NICE here, Pataki. So just listen up."

Impressed by her sentiment, I zipped my lips and nodded for her to continue.

"ANYWAY," she emphasized before continuing, "I wanted to... to, APOLOGIZE for my actions these passed two weeks."

I watched with my brow raised, completely soaking this up to commit it to my memory. Rhonda Wellington Lloyd was APOLOGIZING. To ME.

"Really, now?" I asked, and she dramatically put her hands on her hips.

"Yes, REALLY. And I wanted to tell you that... that I had false information. Arnold never," she leaned in and quietly whispered, "cheated on you," then returned to her normal voice, "like I said he did. So you should probably forgive the poor kid or whatever. He was kind of a wreck after you left."

"Yeah, I'm aware." I stated simply, walked around and passed to her get to my desk and set my things down beside it.

Rhonda followed me.

 _Great. She has more to say._ I thought, my eyes wandering to where Arnold was still standing and talking to Mrs. Otten who was nodding her head enthusiastically with a big smile on her wrinkled face.

 _What was he doing?_

"Look, I'm trying to say something here, Helga."

"I get that, Rhonda. But if I were you I would skip to the part where you get to the point and save me the trouble of having to listen to you talk any longer than I have to."

She sighed and sat down next to me, crossing her legs as she did so. "I know you're mad at me. You should be. I was... I was a bitch, alright? But after watching the scenes you two did... and after what happened on Wednesday, well," she looked around her as if someone was listening, and she leaned in to talk quietly while she finished her schpeel. "I guess I hate to admit it and all, but... after watching you two act in our project, I for one think the two of you make a... a weird but nice couple. There's some definite chemistry between you two that oddly enough I NEVER saw before. Anyway... I uh- I'm sorry I broke the two of you up."

I searched her eyes for a moment, waiting for the punch line, but she remained quiet as she sat in front of me.

"It's, uh, it's fine Prince-" I stopped myself, taking a breath and changing my word. "Rhonda. It's fine."

"But it isn't. This whole... THING, is my fault. I feel... guilty." She made a facial expression that to me could only be described as the 'I just ate the hotel soap thinking it was candy' look. "I don't do WELL with GUILTY."

I smirked. "Right. Well sleep well tonight knowing Arnoldo and I are doing swell."

"You mean...?" She began to ask, but I finished for her.

"Yup." I popped the 'p' at the end of the word. "We're doing peachy. We're just like those kids in the 50's PSA's. No worries."

"Well that's... that's good." She decided on, now seeming slightly less interested in our conversation.

"Can I ask you something though?" I wondered, her attention redirecting to me.

"What could you possibly want to know?"

"Why didn't you tell anyone? After it all happened?"

"Isn't it obvious?" She asked, but at my lack of confirmation in my expression, she elaborated. "I felt bad. Goes with the whole... guilty... thing."

"Well, thanks. For... for not telling anyone."

"And you're still keeping it a secret, I take it?" She asked seriously, and I nodded my head a few times.

"That is, if you decide to help keep it that way." I gave her a look, her thinking for a moment before agreeing.

"Fine. I'll keep your little secret. But on ONE condition."

I shrugged. "Sure. Why not."

She leaned in close to me then, pointing a lone index finger at me as if her acrylic nail was a tiny little dagger with it's sharp tip aiming directly at me; ready to go for the jugular. "You NEVER speak a WORD of Harold and I and that closet ever EVER again. Not to me, not to Arnold, not to ANYONE."

With a smug smile, I crossed my arms as she continued. "Understood, Pataki? Like you, I have a reputation to uphold and I am NOT about to let you go and RUIN it."

I held my arms up in a surrender pose and smiled. "Consider it forgotten, Princess."

"Good." She dropped her arms and shrugged her shoulders back to her normal stance.

The clear monotone bell rang through the room, and everyone quieted down as Mrs. Otten emerged from her desk; Arnold leaving it as well to make his way to our pod of desks and sit beside me. I reached into my back pocket to pull out a pack of gum, grab a piece, and shove it in my mouth before leaning in to Arnold.

"What were you up to?" I whispered over to him, but he didn't answer; his attention instead glued to Mrs. Otten at the front of the room.

"Alright everybody, settle down, settle down." She called, the conversations dying out so we could hear what it was our teacher was about to say. "As you know, your modernization papers are due TODAY, but we start presentations right off the bat on Tuesday when we return from our long 3 day weekend."

Some excited chattering began to comment on the joys of having 3 days off in a row but Mrs. Otten shushed them immediately.

"Guys. I know it's exciting but only a little more of me talking and then you have almost the rest of the period to work on those projects, okay? Now. One group has elected to go first today at the end of class, due to a partner's absence on Tuesday for a-"

Rhonda piped up. "Vacation to Scotland. Mommy and Daddy surprised me with a little 5-day holiday, if you will. Starting tomorrow." She shrugged her shoulders and flipped her hair back with a smug grin.

 _Criminy._

"Right." Mrs. Otten said slowly. "Anyway, so the _Romeo and Juliet_ group will be doing their presentation at around 15 minutes to end of class. Ready to get crackin'?" She clapped once and allowed talking to resume.

I looked at Rhonda.

"And just WHEN were you going to inform us of this, Lloyd?" I spat.

"Well gee, I DO believe I mentioned something about it yesterday, but...well... you didn't happen to be here."

I scowled.

Moment, schmoment.

Even if we'd just had a sappy moment between the two of us mere minutes ago, a THOUSAND sappy moments wouldn't take away how much she truly, TRULY drove me insane.

"We even MISSED a day cause of Eugene over here. And now we have to present TODAY? Seriously? What gives?"

Arnold smiled and I could feel his hand on my leg under the table.

"We'll be fine. The video is all edited and I even turned it in already. I know you're done with the paper, so what's there to worry about? What would we work on today anyways?"

I crossed my arms over my chest, but a mild blush began to creep into my cheeks. "Uh... final touches? Like... like knowing what to say."

"But if you look at the grading scale, I'm ever so certain all we need to say in front of the class are the answers to the following questions:

What was the hardest part of modernizing your particular Shakespearean work?

What liberties did you have to take to achieve a realistic modernization?

Were there any parts that were difficult if not impossible to modernize?

What thoughts do you have on the story now? Any musings or sudden realizations? If so, explain."

Lila turned the page over with all the instructions on the project and smiled.

"So who's taking what questions? C'mon guys we have like 20 minutes before we gotta do this thing." I blurted out anxiously.

"Why are you so nervous, Helga? Arnold edited the video just PERFECTLY! I'm sure we'll get a great grade!" Eugene sing-songed but I wasn't having any of it.

"I'm not NERVOUS, I just... I hate presentations. Especially GROUP presentations."

Arnold chuckled. "And just why is that? I've never known you to have stage fright."

"I don't have STAGE FRIGHT, Hair Boy. I just don't like standing up there with a bunch of other dorks and waiting my turn to answer some dumb question like I'm in some pretty pretty princess pageant or something."

"Pageants aren't all bad, Helga. In fact, if I do recall- there was one pageant I was in that I loved just ever so much. My dress-"

"This is my point." I said, pointing my thumb over to where Lila sat. "Right here. This is why I don't like pageants."

"I for one think you hate pageants because you know you could never win one. I mean, please. Helga G. Pataki in a BALL GOWN."

"As if it's impossible or something?" I asked, smacking the gum I had been chewing more and more viciously as our conversation went by.

"We've seen Helga in a dress before, Rhonda." Arnold muttered, thought she ignored his comment.

"Pageants aren't everyone's cup of tea. I'm just ever so certain that there are plenty of activities Helga enjoys that I wouldn't be that fond of."

I laughed. "PLEN-TY of 'em, _Li_ la."

Reaching over, I swiped the paper from her hands to look at the questions she'd read off. "Fine. If you dorks won't pick which questions you'll answer, I'll pick for you. Let's see, let's see. Lila, you take question one. Eugene- you got two. Rhonda you go ahead and take 3 and I'll-"

"How about Arnold takes the fourth question?" Lila suggested out of the blue, and I shrugged without much thought.

"Uh... fine? Whatever. Guess I can skip the question part since there ARE only four questions... I'll just have to do an overview of our paper or something so I can rack in those 'participation points.' Got it? Good? Game plan?"

"Sheesh, it's an oral presentation not playmaking time in the locker room." Rhonda grumbled but I was done wasting time on this project.

Even though it kinda sucked that we had to go earlier than everyone else because SOMEONE was too filthy-stinkin'-rich and going SCOTland over our 3 day break... it was still encouraging because AT LEAST I'd be done being in this weird little five-some.

Then it could ALL go right back to normal.

Class seemed to speed by. Probably because I wasn't in any hurry to show everyone the video we'd made. What if everyone saw the 'chemistry' between Arnold and I like Rhonda had been babbling to me about? _Criminy... I'd never live this down._

I found myself zoning out on the mess of words on the paper of questions for our presentation. They blurred together into a jumble of black on the white sheet. And it wasn't until it was too late that I zoned back into reality at Mrs. Otten's alarming words.

"So it's about time for our _Romeo and Juliet_ group to do their presentation. You all ready?" Her eyes flitted over to us and I swallowed the lump in my throat as we all stood up from our pod to approach the front of the class.

"Where's the dvd?" I asked, but Mrs. Otten smiled as she sat down on the chair at her desk.

"Already loaded and ready, Arnold dropped it off before class began. Why don't you guys first start by telling us who did what for your project."

Arnold nodded his head and nudged me into action.

"Well, we uh- we started our project by picking out parts." I bumbled out, but before I could get into the swing of things, Arnold chimed in.

He smiled and turned to look at me and then back out at our class. "It's kind of funny, some of you were in Mr. Simmons' fourth grade class back in PS 118 and if you remember, we did _Romeo and Juliet_ back then."

"Right. And by some WEIRD chance of FATE or something, here we are again doing the same roles. Cripes." I continued for him.

I looked over to Eugene and urged him to explain what he did for the project; trying to hurry this along.

"I wrote the script, which came in handy for when I missed school the other day last week. Oh! And I had the joy of portraying Tybalt! But we had to double up on a few of the roles, so I had to play Mercutio too." Eugene bragged, and I smirked.

"Which was a joy to edit." Arnold grinned, "I edited the final video."

Mrs. Otten nodded her head and gestured towards Lila, Rhonda and me. "How about you ladies? What did you do in our project?"

I cleared my throat. "Well, I wrote the essay accompanying this fun little project. And I also got to reprise my role of Juliet, much to Princess over here's dismay. But I had to wear the stuff she picked out for me so I guess we're even in the 'unhappy' department."

"Oh hush. You looked wonderful THANKS to me. I did the costumes." Rhonda said with an upwards tilt of her chin and a purse of her lips.

"And I put together our list of necessary props and scene changes. Rhonda and I also portrayed some background people at the party Romeo and Juliet attend when they first fall in love. It's just ever so romantic."

"Yes, it truly is. One of the greatest love stories ever told." Mrs. Otten oozed before refocusing and pulling out her sheet of questions.

"So," she began, pulling her cheaters onto her nose so she count read off her paper, "What was the hardest part of modernizing your particular Shakespearean work?"

Lila smoothed out her black skirt she was wearing and took a breath, saying the words she'd thought out during work time today. "I believe the most difficult part of our project in modernizing _Romeo and Juliet_ just had to be the technology. If you really think about it, just oh so much has changed in the passed thousands of years and to modernize a work such as _Romeo and Juliet_ which is full of passion, tragedy and the world of bias based solely on one's relations is a foreign topic to us in the 21st century."

 _Show off._

"Very well put, Lila." She scribbled down something on her grading worksheet before picking up where she left off on the list of questions. "Now, what liberties did you have to take to achieve a realistic modernization?"

Eugene grinned at his chance to answer a question. "Well when I was working on the script, I found that social cues were completely different from what we do now. First off, it isn't very easy to make a ball, so we changed that to a house party. And we changed the balcony scene to the fire escape last minute-"

"We... we did?" I asked, suddenly confused with what he was talking about.

"What Eugene means to say is we THOUGHT about changing it to a fire escape... But that was too dangerous." Arnold quickly said, and I shot him a look.

"We filmed that scene with a green screen ya dope, because RHONDA wouldn't let us over to ruin her perfect castle."

"I didn't want you over because our maid hadn't been in to clean and the place simply looked ATROCIOUS." Rhonda sneared.

I rolled my eyes, and after a moment Eugene continued.

"Anyway... things had to be adjusted to fit with the times!" He smiled and nodded his head once to signal that he was done.

"Wonderful." Mrs. Otten mumbled while jotting down her notes for Eugene's answer and then shuffled a paper around before continuing again. "Were there any parts that were difficult if not impossible to modernize? Rhonda is next I assume?"

Rhonda straightened her posture as she took a breath. "Well, PERSONALLY speaking, _Romeo and Juliet_ is pretty easy to modernize. Minus the fact that they could get married at age 14 back in the day which is positively ridiculous. I mean, who even wants to get married that young?"

Mrs. Otten looked at her skeptically. "So you thought it was an easy transition besides the marriage?"

She shrugged and crossed her arms. "Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying."

"Alright, well... good!" She finalized, grading her on the sheet and then focusing her attention on Arnold. "Finally, what thoughts do you have on the story now? Any musings or sudden realizations? If so, explain."

Arnold smiled warmly to her. "If its alright with you, could I answer the last question AFTER our video? I think it would really be... beneficial to the project."

I narrowed my eyes in his direction. _What was he DOING?_

"Of course, Arnold. That's fine with me! Ready to start the video?"

We moved to sit back in our pod; Arnold going to turn the lights off. Mrs. Otten used her remote to turn on the projector, which after a moment of slowly turning on, illuminated the blank screen ahead of the class.

I leaned in to Arnold who finally took his seat beside me. "What are you doing?" I whispered.

"You'll see." He answered, right as the music from the exceptionally edited video signaled the beginning of the video.

I had to admit, all that work Arnold put in to editing our project had REALLY paid off.

I mean, criminy, if the kid wanted to run off and do it for the big time he probably could- the thing looked professional!

Each scene smoothly transitioned to the next. The video quality was super clear and he even had music on in the background to make each scene really pop.

And IN each scene, all I could see was that chemistry that Princess was referring to. It's funny, back when we did _Romeo and Juliet_ the first time, I was SO damn focused on kissing Arnold and loving Arnold and obsessing over Arnold... I never even took five seconds to step back and see what it was Rhonda had pointed out.

But she was right.

I'd never TELL her that... but the damn Queen of Hillwood High was right.

I found myself glancing around the room practically begging for attention to draw towards me for what was happening on the screen... but nothing ever happened. No one even glanced my direction.

Once again, the world did not revolve around Helga G. Pataki and her freakish love affairs. Reality check.

The music transitioned again, and I directed my attention towards the screen. We were on the balcony scene- not only my favorite scene in all of _Romeo and Juliet,_ but I LOVED the liberties we had taken with it.

That had been the only scene I really put any input into ideas-wise. Oddly enough, it was Rhonda who suggested some 'mild animosity would be fun to watch- everyone loves sexual tension!' And while I figured it was only one of her attempts to try and get Arnold and I to crack, it had turned out really well.

The only BUMMER was that we had to use a damn green screen.

Who even DOES that?

 **The camera pans over a gorgeous scenery** (one we definitely stole from online somewhere) **finally transitioning to a large apartment building where Juliet leans on a railing** (in front of a very juvenile green screen depicting doors that led inside) **to what appears to be a fire escape from the** (fake) **penthouse the Capulets live in.**

 _Criminy. Arnold did a pretty good job on that too..._ I thought, even though I found the green screen to be a bit cheesy. I never understood why we couldn't just use a REAL fire escape- it isn't like Hillwood isn't chock full of them.

But then again... we DID have EUGENE in our group- so maybe the green screen was for the best.

 **Juliet gazes out to the sky, her attention clearly on the moon and stars** (the corner of Eugene's ceiling) **as she dreams about the kiss she shared with Romeo at the masquerade party** (Rhonda nixed the 'Halloween Party' idea because it was 'too overdone'- yeah... right) **. She's completely lost in her thoughts of her love for her enemy.**

 **Romeo, who has been wandering around, looks up and sees a figure on their fire escape** (more looking up at nothing) **.**

" **Is there somebody up there?" He asks.**

 **Juliet continues to look out at the stars, but Romeo's face lights up** (insert swoon here) **as he realizes just who it is. "Juliet? It's Juliet!" He says to himself in disbelief.**

 **Juliet doesn't hear him, but he continues anyway. "If only she knew how beautiful she is- the way she looks out at the sky like she's talking to the stars." His attention is locked on her. "The way she speaks with her eyes... those gorgeous eyes. She doesn't even know, she doesn't even see." He glances down to his feet momentarily, only to look up once more when Juliet sighs** (incredibly loudly might I add- that camera has the shittiest sound quality) **from up above.**

 **She begins to talk to herself as well,** (sound familiar?) **"Romeo... Why does it have to be ROMEO?" She's distressed. "Why does he have to be a Montague? What even IS that? It's just a name anyway...just a silly little name. And what does a name say about who you are? It doesn't dictate how wonderful and amazing somebody- even a Montague -can be and is."**

 **Juliet spun around to rest her back against the railing. "If he were named ANYTHING ELSE would it even matter? He would be just as wonderful, just as gorgeous, just as... amazing as he is now- only without the name."**

 **The camera switches to Romeo who is still watching her from below. "Should I say something to her?" He wonders as she continues to talk to herself from above.**

" **If he just didn't have that name, that silly stupid name, maybe we could... we could be together."**

 **He calls up to her** (mostly just yells into the air at nobody, a few people were out of their windows to watch the crazy kids from below them) **rather boldly, "We could, ya know. Be together."**

 **Juliet spins around on her fire escape to lean over the railing and peer down at him** (the carpet of Eugene's living room) **"Who's there? What are you doing yelling up here at me? Who are you?"**

" **If I tell you who I am, will you send me away in hate like your family?"**

 **At the realization of who it is she is talking to, she softens her tone. "Romeo?" She asks.**

" **Hi, Juliet." He smiles** (that goofy, gorgeous grin of his that makes me weak at the knees) **up at her.**

" **You can't come up here, they'll... they'd kill you. And it isn't like you can CLIMB or anything... We live in the penthouse."**

" **Doesn't mean we can't talk. They can't keep our words out, or threaten death. Can't kill love."**

" **Yeah, but they sure can kill YOU."**

It was becoming increasingly obvious to me just how alike Arnold and I were to Romeo and Juliet. Granted, we weren't about to run off and get hitched the way they did, but we were in love.

Maybe not at first sight.

Maybe it had been for me, but not for him.

Maybe it had taken him years to finally realize he loved me too.

But all those googoo eyes he was (kinda) giving me up on that screen were real.

It was like the words he was saying were real, and it wasn't _Romeo and Juliet_ we were showing the class up there... it was _Arnold and Helga_ \- a love story unlike any that anyone had ever seen.

One to last the ages.

 **Romeo shakes his head carelessly. "Let them. I'd rather die than live my life wondering what could have been."**

" **I don't know what I'd do if they caught you."**

 **Romeo shrugs his shoulders, a smile toying on his** (remarkably soft) **lips. "Don't worry about me. It's dark out, they can hardly see me."**

" **And how exactly did you find me anyway?" Juliet asks.**

We had done all of the scene really weird: first I did all my lines, Arnold reading the cues to me so I could react to him and whatnot. Then, we switched and he did his from down on the street. He said it would be easier that way to splice it all together and make it look seamless.

And so far- he had achieved that.

" **I asked a guy who knew a guy who told me where to find you. It wasn't that far, but I'd go anywhere to find you."**

 **Juliet smiles, a faint blush illuminating her cheeks** (which was real... he had said it with such a genuine look in his eyes; even as he only stood in front of me next to Eugene who was holding the camera) **, "That's... awfully sweet of you to say." She chews her bottom lip for a moment, as if thinking deeply** (I had forgotten my line, _why would he use this take?_ ) **about his words. "You probably heard everything I said, didn't you?"**

 **She sighs in defeat at his lack of response. "I can't believe you just heard what I said," She mutters to herself, before continuing.**

" **Look, don't go taking what I said as some compliment and only that, because I meant it all and, and... I want to know if you like me to? Don't tell me you love me because you think you can get with me. I'm not the kind of girl to go running around with just anyone. But if you do... say it and mean it."**

It was like watching our very relationship unfold on the screen; the scenes hiding our secret love from the audience who watched, completely captivated ahead to the modern twist on the classic tale.

I waited for Arnold to say his next line... but the camera held on him, though he said nothing.

 **He doesn't respond** ( _Why isn't he responding? He's supposed to respond!_ ) **Romeo turns to face the camera** (?!)

" **Most fire escapes look the same." He says. "Probably not this one, because we used a really bad green screen."**

Quiet mumbles begin rumbling through the class as Arnold very obviously breaks character in our video.

I sat frozen, my eyes glued to the screen.

" **But the alley I'm in right now, it's my own alley at the boarding house. See?" He points up and the camera pans with his finger to show the fire escape and beyond to where a large sky window sits at the top.**

" **Balconies... fire escapes... Romeo and Juliet can be transposed in any way you want- it's given time or the 70's, the 90's, now, the future. It's one of those love stories that transcends generations and lives on forever. The tale of true love, hindered by those who know no better. Can you believe the nerve of some people, trying to keep others apart from each other?" He asks the camera directly, giving a moment before continuing.**

" **I can. I've lived it. Still am, I guess."**

I was drawn to the screen like a bug to a light. It was both endearing and incredibly frustrating, only because I was suddenly aware of what it was Arnold was doing.

That football-headed weirdo who I had adored and loved all of my existence... was outing us.

I should have guessed that was what he had been up to this whole time, Mr. What's-the-point-of-hiding-it-when-we-have-each-other-to-lean-on and all that other positive nonsense he was always spewing.

Not that I didn't LIKE when he spewed that positive nonsense... it was adorable.

But that's not the point. The POINT was that here was Arnold, up on that screen, outing everything I was afraid of telling people. AND I bet _Li_ la had helped him with the whole thing.

Criminy! It was all becoming so damn clear now. Crystal clear.

He was doing everything I had told him NOT to do and I was suddenly shaking from a weird combination of fear and anger as I sat beside him.

"Helga..." He leaned over and whispered, but I shook my head.

"Don't EVEN, Arnold. You're on some hot water right now." I almost-whispered back; some of the volume stuck behind my clenched teeth.

" **I've always kind of thought life chooses you. I don't really know if Romeo's character thought like that, but from reading the story and acting it out TWICE, that's what I've taken away from it." He continues, the camera follows him as he climbs up the fire escape.**

" **Romeo and Juliet, they were like fate. And fate is really weird. Fate, or whatever you want to call it, brought me to Hillwood from San Lorenzo. Fate kept me here. Fate enrolled me in Urban Tots pre-school where I met most of you wonderful people." He swings his head underneath a bar and then up to stand on one end of the fire escape. "Fate brought most of us back in our classes at P.S. 118. Fate cast me as Romeo in 4th grade with Helga as Juliet after a really unlikely run-through of understudies. And now here fate has brought us to those very same roles once again in the very same tragically romantic story we all know like the back of our hand."**

The murmuring continued throughout the room, and Mrs. Otten shushed everybody from where she sat watching at her desk.

" **And every time I've encountered this story, I always find myself wondering just what would have happened if everyone had listened instead of fighting and given their love a chance."**

 _He knew I wondered that question all the time..._

 **He climbs up a ladder, the camera shakily following as he climbs** (how was Lila doing this even?) **up to just below that big sky window.**

" **Here's the crazy thing... I never knew I would get the answer to my question in a school English project. Fate maybe?" He shrugs his shoulder, a smile on his face.**

 **He looks up and gestures to the sky window. "See this window? Most of you know it as the window that leads to my room. And this fire escape is a great way to get to it too. A fire escape is the equivalent to a balcony, I think. A modern day one at least."**

He was rambling, I could tell. I shifted, suddenly feeling antsy in my seat as I watched him on the screen.

 **He takes a deep breath, shaken almost. "Guess you could say Juliet and I have been doing a little extra credit when it comes to character development."**

It was those words that finally attracted all the eyes I had been waiting for in my direction. Heat flooded my cheeks, and I was suddenly very grateful for the pitch black that filled the room.

I swallowed the lump in my throat as Arnold's voice continued from the video.

" **My question for the assignment is," he pulls out a sheet of paper from his pocket, unfolds it, and begins to read, "What thoughts do you have on the story now? Any musings or sudden realizations? If so, explain."**

 **With a smile, he refolds the paper and tucks it carefully back into his pocket. "I guess my answer is that I've had a lot of sudden realizations and musings, the biggest one being I'm tired of living life like some secret because I think it will cause peace between everyone- my friends."**

This was true. My reasoning made sense, not wanting to be picked on and all. But Arnold only ever seemed to want one thing- for everyone else to be taken care of and happy. Maybe it WAS time for him to think about himself and make ARNOLD happy.

I made him happy.

" **Romeo and Juliet shows perfectly what happens when people are not accepting and hell-bent on keeping things the way they like them. In their case: Montagues against Capulets. In mine... Helga versus me."**

The class is quiet now, silent really, and I'm suddenly thankful that I can breathe again seeing as I hadn't been for nearly a whole minute now.

" **Maybe you don't think I'm serious. Maybe you think that 'Arnold is just being Arnold' or whatever it is you guys think, but you're wrong. Helga and I have been Romeo and Juliet twice now- once as classmates, and now once again but as boyfriend and girlfriend. And I'd like to keep it that way, except without the judgment or teasing that comes along with us being together."**

I looked over to Arnold who had been watching me the whole time. I raised a brow at him with a small smirk, allowing him to take my hand in his under the desk.

" **I don't want us to be Romeo and Juliet anymore. I think its safe to say this is our uh... our final bow. It's time to just be Arnold and Helga now- not football-head and his bully or her five avengers or any of that... just us."**

 **He nods his head once, slowly making his way down the fire escape to reach the alley** (Lila following him with her magic fire-escape hopping skills... guess gymnastics had paid off for her.) **.**

" **And in case you thought I was kidding, if you thought all of this was just a cheap way out of our project..." He focuses his attention back up** _(to where it should have been in the first place)_ **where Juliet is** (appears to be) **still standing, and clears his throat to say his next line.**

" **Helga G. Pataki,"** (nope, not the next line AT ALL) **"It's been six months... and I know you think I'm crazy and I'm being just some 'weird football-head' by doing this so early..."**

 _Holy cripes... he isn't..._

" **But as a gesture to prove my feelings are real, and WE are real... I want to ask you to be my date to prom. But not just to prom- to prom and every dance in between."**

I hadn't noticed, but Rhonda had left her desk behind us and was up by the lights at the front of the room, switching them on and momentarily blinding the class. The movie paused, and suddenly 20 pairs of eyes were watching me from where I sat dumbfounded at my desk.

"Stop caring about everyone else." Arnold whispered to me in my ear before he stood up.

I tried to yank him down but he wasn't having it. He gripped my hand tight and bore into my eyes with his; a bright red blush illuminating my cheeks as he did so.

"So?" He asked, his eyes locked on mine.

I felt the eyes on me, of everyone else. But I tried to remember what Arnold had whispered to me moments ago.

I tried to remember each and every moment Arnold had known me better than I knew myself. I replayed every time he saw in me the things nobody did and never gave up on that Helga that was hiding inside the ever-threatening Helga G. Pataki.

Memories flooded me, memories of laughs and fights. Silly things that 'fate' had given to us. There'd been projects like being parents to an egg or living in a bio-zone that flooded like crazy. There'd been crazy random happenstances like meeting at the same beach over summer, running into each other literally at almost every block's corner, finding each other in woods while camping. There were holidays- Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day, Christmas (though he still never knew about that), even that crazy July 4th a couple years back with the fireworks show... the show where I first caught Arnold looking at me without attracting it first.

There was that party at Rhonda's with the bottle, there was our first school dance where I made him dance with me and then our seventh grade dance where he asked me- willingly.

And finally, there was Romeo and Juliet. Twice now.

But it had always been Arnold and Helga. Even before he knew I loved him, and much MUCH before he realized he loved me.

I blinked back the hot tears that had undesirably formed in my eyes at his words and at each memory.

"Well, Helga? Are you going to leave the boy hanging, or what?" Rhonda asked, a smile hinting at her expression.

"I...I-I.." I looked around at the class as they all watched me intently.

 _Stop caring about everyone else._ He had said.

My eyes danced around the classroom, terrified. All the while, it was Arnold's hand that held me from running as I confronted both inner Helga and Helga G. Pataki in one fowl swoop.

Who was I going to let win?

"I..." I took a breath and let it out. "Yeah."

"Yeah?" He asked, a smile lighting up his face.

I nodded my head and smiled with him. "You better believe it, football-head."

* * *

"Thanks a lot for letting me use our presentation time for that, Mrs. Otten." Arnold thanked after the bell rang and people were leaving the room.

"Not a problem, Arnold. I couldn't say no to Romeo and Juliet playing out in my own classroom..." She held her hands over her heart all sappy-like and I rolled my eyes.

"What happened to our ACTUAL project then?" I asked, looking at Mrs. Otten before finally setting my gaze on Arnold.

"I turned it in. This one was just for show." He winked.

I swooned inside.

Or was that outside?

By the feel of his hand lacing with mine, I wasn't sure there was an 'inside and outside' anymore.

"Well, you are certainly free to go to lunch! Job well done on the whole project, not just this. One of the best I've seen in all my years of teaching."

"Thanks, Mrs. Otten." We replied in unison, and turned to make our way to lunch.

"We're... we're holding hands." I commented as we entered the hallway together, the masses heading for lunch.

"Sure are."

I found myself looking around to see if anyone had taken notice.

But as usual, the world doesn't revolve around me.

"Is it weird? For you?"

He shrugged, his attention focusing ahead on the traffic jam at the end of the stairwell. "Not weird. Natural."

"Natural? You're kidding. I'm freaked."

"That's because you're not being you."

I looked at him and frowned. "What did you say, Hair Boy?"

He chuckled and squeezed my hand as he held it; pulling me in one direction to exit the swarm and stand by some lockers for a moment. "The REAL you, the you I know, loves holding my hand."

"Yeah, but-"

"And the REAL you, the you I know, loves being with me."

"I do, Arnold it's just-"

"And the REAL you, the you I know, loves kissing me and hugging me and-"

"Stop RIGHT THERE, bucko." I scowled for a moment before lightening up and batting my eyes a few times before looking at him. "The real me?"

"The one I love. Just be her. You don't have to hide it anymore. No one is going to pick on you."

My eyes diverted from his to watch the steady stream of students push their way to food. "And if they do?"

He reached up and brushed a piece of hair just behind my ear, then gently resting his hand on my neck. "Let them."

"L-let them?" I stuttered, my guards being knocked down by his touch.

"Yeah, Helga. Let them."

"How come YOU always get to give the advice, huh?" I asked playfully, raising a brow.

He shrugged. "Nobody else ever gives it I guess."

"Can I?"

"We saw how that went last time, Helga..."

"Hey! I'm serious here, don't ruin it." He shrugged and nodded his head, signaling me to continue. "You want some advice, Arnoldo?"

"Sure, Helga."

"I think you should kiss me. Right now."

His eyes widened at my sudden bold attitude. "Really. Thought you were afraid someone would see."

"A wise, incredibly weird-shape-headed-boy once told me to stop caring what everyone thinks. And I hear he's pretty good advice so..."

He leaned in to gently press his lips to mine, lingering for a moment before pulling away with a goofy grin on his face. "Love you, Helga."

"I love you too, Arnold." I wiggled my brow for a moment. "Or should I say ROMEO."

He pulled us back into the slightly-smaller group of people going to lunch. "I'm so done being Romeo." He said with a laugh.

"Rather be football-head?"

"Are you ever planning to stop calling me that? Even now?"

I shook my head defiantly. "Fat chance. I think it suits you."

"Well you did give it to me."

"And you can't tell me you don't like it... even just a little bit."

"Maybe when you say it affectionately."

We neared the cafeteria, Phoebe and Gerald waiting by doors leading to the loft where you could sit in bean bags and eat food. Usually they were all taken up, but our two best friends had done well by saving spots for us.

"So whattya think about Tall Hair Boy and Pheebs, huh?"

"What, you want to set them up?"

I nodded my head. "Doi. They're like totally in love with each other."

"Playing matchmaker are we?"

"I call them as I see them." I waved at Phoebe who waved back, Gerald giving a slight head nod in our direction. "This whole being public thing... it's not-not so bad I guess."

Arnold was happy about this. "Really? You mean that?"

I nodded my head. "Yeah. Next stop- cutest couple, right? They can just call us the next Romeo and Juliet... bully and a weirdo."

He laughed, leaning over to kiss the top of my head softly as we finally reached Gerald and Phoebe for lunch. "Whatever you say, Helga. Whatever you say."

* * *

 _ **What did you all think?! Leave reviews and let me know!**_

 _ **And DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT MY OTHER FIC: "Spanish 2 Was All For You"**_

 _ **I PROMISE YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED!**_

 ** _until next time_**

 ** _xoxo_**

 ** _Polkahotness :)_**


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